Unique view of the ‘tronies’ in art from the Netherlands

Our fascination for faces transcends eras and cultures. Turning Heads – Rubens, Rembrandt and Vermeer highlights a remarkable genre in painting to which little attention has so far been paid: tronies or study heads, which were intended first and foremost to depict an emotion or a character trait. Since the model’s identity did not matter, painters could truly go to town with these heads. Tronies were drawn and painted by some of the greatest masters: Dürer, Bruegel, Massys, Rubens, Rembrandt and Vermeer, to name just a few. Turning Heads offers a fresh insight into a genre that is older and more varied than you might think. This book includes dozens of illustrations plus the thoughts of contemporary artists for whom the face is essential to their own work.

Catalogue for the exhibition of the same name at the KMSKA in Antwerp (from October 20, 2023 to January 21, 2024) and the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin (from February 24 to May 26, 2024).

About the Author:

Nico Van Hout Head of Collection Research - Curator Seventeenth Century Paintings, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten (KMSKA) in Antwerpen (Antwerp), Belgium.

Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669) never left his homeland of the Netherlands but in his massive body of painting, drawing, and etching, he changed the course of Western art. His prolific oeuvre encompasses religious, historical, and secular scenes, as well as one of the most extraordinary series of portraits and self-portraits in history.

Rembrandt’s work foregrounds texture, light, and acute observation. Like sudden, startling apparitions in a shadowy street, his subjects are illuminated against deep, dark backgrounds and rendered with immense physical as well as psychological scrutiny. Whether biblical or mythological figures, powerful patrons, or fellow citizens, each subject is bestowed not only with meticulous facial features but also with the intrigue of thoughts and feelings so that even age-old narratives such as the bible story of David and Bathsheba find a new level of human drama. Rembrandt also left one of the most extensive series of self-portraits of any artist, chronicling his own face from his youth to the year of his death.

Rembrandt’s rise coincided with the blossoming of the Dutch Golden Age, an era of prosperity in the Netherlands. He was encouraged by wealthy patrons, but was above all driven by a profound fascination with people. In this book, we tour some of Rembrandt’s key paintings, etchings, and drawings to introduce his techniques, inspirations, and exceptional achievements. From the Baroque Belshazzar’s Feast to the world-famous Night Watch we uncover a world of deep, rich tones, masterful draftsmanship, and a remarkable sensitivity for the human condition.

About the series:

Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Art series features:

- a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance
- a concise biography
- approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions

Published on the occasion of a major exhibition bringing together the best Rembrandt paintings from American collections. The great seventeenth-century Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn is one of the most important painters in the history of European art. This richly illustrated volume gathers some fifty of the finest paintings by the Dutch master and his followers from private and public collections across America, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Rembrandt had an uncanny ability to depict light and shadow, and to capture the emotions of his sitters. In addition to his portraits, he is also known for historical scenes. Highlighting the authentic Rembrandts in America during the late nineteenth century’s Gilded Age, a time when American tycoons cultivated a passion for collecting European masterpieces, the book also features fifteen to twenty works that were originally attributed to the master’s hand but are now recognized as paintings by his successors, contemporary followers, and later imitators.

An introduction focusing on Rembrandt as a cultural phenomenon is followed by essays devoted to his life, the controversy associated with his workshop, and the pursuit of Rembrandt in America. Published in association with the Cleveland Museum of Art, the North Carolina Museum of Art, and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Selfies with Rembrandt. The complete self-portraiture in an XL collection

Few devotees of the form can approach Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn’s radical contributions to the art of the self-portrait. Challenging the conventions enshrined by his predecessors, Rembrandt transformed self-portraiture into a fully realized medium capable of communicating emotional depth rather than favorably immortalizing one’s likeness in the finest trappings of luxury.

With more than 80 works spanning paintings, etchings, and drawings, the Dutchman’s lifelong practice of self-portraiture functions as a means of concretizing that which is fleeting, be it individual moments of development set against the inexorable passage of time, or the facial contortions of emotion that are gone, without a trace, as swiftly as they arrive. Across the four decades in which they were painted, one constant is particularly striking across media and styles — Rembrandt’s dedication to presenting himself from multiple perspectives, celebrating the multiplicity of the individual and championing the unfiltered portrayal of emotional expression.

Apart from the thematic concerns present within Rembrandt’s suite of self-portraits, the works themselves are rich with technical innovation and experimentation. Glints of light bathe a shoulder while whole swathes of his face blend, obscured, into darkened backdrops. Carved through a wet patina of earth-toned paint with a rough reed pen, unruly curls seem to reflect the light cast down upon them, swirling with boisterous energy befitting the surprise so often plastered across Rembrandt’s face. There is an unmistakable humanity present across the entirety of this oeuvre, each expressive brushstroke and obfuscated feature amounting to an unflinchingly honest characterization of himself, in all his foibles, contrasting states of feeling, and stages of life.

Commemorating the 350th anniversary of the artist’s death, this comprehensive monograph renders all of Rembrandt’s self-portraits in breathtaking XL resolution. From his first experimentations at age twenty-two to his final self-portrait painted a year before his death, this stunning collection stands testament to a life committed to revolutionizing painterly practice both in content and form.

The authors:

Volker Manuth studied art history, philosophy and classical archaeology in Kiel, Bonn, and Berlin. In 1987 he completed his PhD at the Freie Universität Berlin with a thesis on the iconography of Rembrandt’s Old Testament subjects. From 1988 to 1995 he was an assistant and associate Professor at the FU Berlin, and from 1995 to 2003, he held the A. Bader Chair of Northern Renaissance and Baroque Art at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario (Canada). Since 2003, he has been Professor of Art History at Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

Marieke de Winkel studied art history and classical archaeology at the University of Amsterdam and history of dress at the Courtauld Institute in London. From 1993 to 2003, she was a research assistant with the Rembrandt Research Project. Her PhD thesis at the University of Amsterdam focused on dress in the works of Rembrandt.

Rembrandt: The Drawings & Etchings. The complete XXL collection

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606-1669) stands as one of the most important painters in Western art, but nowhere else do we encounter his inimitable talent more so than in his drawings and etchings. Hinged upon experimentation and expressive line work, they garnered him unparalleled recognition from his contemporaries.

Each portrait or quotidian scene is elevated by his masterful treatment of light, shadow, and hatching. There is another world to be accessed within Rembrandt’s etchings — one that dwells within the intangibilities of moody midnight contemplation and the twilit countryside, these elusive moments fixed to the page with every stroke. Meanwhile, Rembrandt’s drawings display his emotional state with a candor unseen in other works. Using pen and brush, silverpoint and charcoal as well as colored chalks and ink, he drew on various types of paper which he also sometimes dyed beforehand.

Commemorating the 350th anniversary of the artist’s death, this stunning XXL monograph is the first-ever collection gathering Rembrandt’s complete works on paper. Through the 708 drawings, brilliantly printed in color for the first time, and 314 etchings in pristine reproductions, we discover Rembrandt’s keen eye, deft hand, and boundless depth of feeling like never before; and above all, we witness that he was far more than just a painter.

The authors:

Peter Schatborn is emeritus head of the Rijksprentenkabinet at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. He has served as guest scholar at the Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, and has curated exhibitions at the Fondation Custodia, Paris and The Frick Collection, New York. He specializes in seventeenth-century Dutch drawings.

Erik Hinterding studied art history at Utrecht University and completed his PhD on Rembrandt the etcher. He has worked on publications and exhibitions for numerous institutions among them the Fondation Custodia in Paris, the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome, the Klassik Stiftung Weimar, and the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo. In 2013 he was one of two authors of the new seven-volume catalogue raisonné of Rembrandt’s etchings. Since 2012 he has been Curator of Prints at the Rijksmuseum, where he oversees the early modern print collection.

A mirror of the artistic and intellectual developments of the 17th century

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606-1669) was one of the most complex and multi-faceted artists of the 17th century. From his initial period in Leiden to his earlier and later phases in Amsterdam, the stages of Rembrandt’s career mirror the artistic and intellectual developments of the century.

After breaking off his studies in Leiden, the young Rembrandt trained as a painter for two years and eventually established his own painting workshop. Characteristic of the Leiden period are his biblical histories, such as "The Raising of Lazarus," but the roots of Rembrandt’s portraiture, nourished by his intensive studies of physiognomy, also are to be found in these same years. Later, in Amsterdam, the perfection of Rembrandt’s likenesses initially won him the favour of numerous patrons- but the artist soon surpassed their expectations. Transcending traditional modes of presentation, Rembrandt composed his portraits, in the same manner, he had earlier constructed his scenes. The results are visible, for example, in the famous group portrait "The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp" from 1632.

In the last phase of Rembrandt’s work - when, plagued by financial problems, he had withdrawn into seclusion - it is no longer possible to distinguish between event paintings and portraits.

About the Series:
Each book in TASCHEN’s Basic Art Series features:

• a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance
• a concise biography
• approximately 100 colour illustrations with explanatory captions

The author:
Michael Bockemühl (b. 1943) studied art history, philosophy and ecclesiastical history in Munich and Bochum. He qualified as a professor in 1984 at the Ruhr University, and lecturered in the history of the art of late antiquity, the Middle Ages and the early modern age. In 1990 he was awarded a chair in the science of art, aesthetics and art education by Witten Herdecke University. His TASCHEN monographs include Rembrandt (1991) and William Turner (1991).

Посмотреть русскоязычное издание книги Rembrandt - Рембрандт

A presentation of highlights from the collection of Maida and George Abrams, a private collection of Dutch 17th-century drawings.

The works range from studies by renowned masters - including Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Rembrandt van Rijn, Jacob van Ruisdael, Jacques de Gheyn II, Hendrick Goltzius and Hendrick Avercamp - to drawings by lesser-known draftsmen whose contributions are essential to understanding the art of the period. The volume features seven drawings by Rembrandt, a diverse group by his pupils, a comprehensive survey of Dutch landscape drawing, and figure studies and scenes of daily life by genre artists such as Willem Buytewech and Adriaen van Ostade.

The works are explicated in William Robinson's detailed catalogue entries and in two essays: George Abrams reflects on acquisitions for his collection; and Martin Royalton-Kisch examines the Abrams' holdings within the tradition of specialized collections of Dutch drawings in England, France and America.

Книга 1

Рембрандт. Становление художника
Рембрандт Харменс ван Рейн - величайший живописец, офортист и рисовальщик, уже при жизни признанный гением. Едва ли найдется художник создавший столько произведений, сколько создал Рембрандт, и мы не знаем ни одного другого мастера, оставившего после себя такое количество потрясающих рисунков. Из-под кисти этого непревзойденного голландского живописца выходили великолепные портреты, пейзажи, жанровые сиены, величественные полотна на религиозные и мифологические сюжеты, которые и по сей день вызывают всеобщее восхищение. Этот прекрасно изданный альбом послужит замечательным подарком всем любителям искусства.

Книга 2

Рембрандт. Великий художник
Начиная с ранних рисунков и заканчивая поздними работами, Рембрандт демонстрирует блистательное мастерство живописца, офортиста и рисовальщика, совершенное владение цветом и светотенью. Именно это позволило ему воплотить свои грандиозные замыслы, добиться явного превосходства над другими художниками, пробудить в зрителях самые разнообразные чувства и настроения - радость и печаль, тревогу и умиротворение, страсть и спокойствие - и достичь в искусстве абсолютной вершины, на которую не поднялся почти никто из его учеников и последователей. Книга рассказывает о зрелом периоде творчества художника и последних годах жизни, когда, несмотря на тяжелые испытания, посланные судьбой, он создал многие шедевры, обессмертившие его имя.

300 full-colour illustrations

Rembrandt is revered as one of the most talented and prolific artists the world has ever known, and not without reason. His work was in high demand in Amsterdam during his lifetime, and has continued to enthral viewers ever since. The artist’s early Baroque style through to his more introspective later paintings demonstrate his incredible skill in manipulating light and mood, while his striking etchings and engravings convey the energy and spontaneity of a sketch. From portraits to biblical scenes, landscapes to self-portraits, Rembrandt was diverse in his subjects and themes. Here, both his paintings and his engravings are brought together in a highly informative and desirable box set, allowing the reader to compare and contrast the artist’s work in an abundance of beautiful images.

Книга о голландском живописце, крупнейшем художнике своего времени Рембрандте Харменсе ван Рейне (1606–1669); в его творчестве голландская живопись XVII века достигла своей вершины.

Помимо картин в его наследие входит сотня офортов и гравюр и более 1000 рисунков, до сих пор вызывающих восхищение. Рембрандт усовершенствовал все типы гравюры: офорт, сухую иглу, резцовую гравюру. Именно гравюра особенно хорошо показывает метод работы Рембрандта, поскольку в оттисках, сделанных на разных стадиях работы, проявляется характер вносимых изменений и исправлений. Несмотря на то, что, скорее всего, он никогда не выезжал из Голландии, уже при жизни Рембрандт был известен по всей Европе и оказывал сильное влияние на искусство той эпохи.

Книга состоит из семи глав, подробно рассказывающих о жизни художника и об истории написания каждой картины, представленной в издании. В конце книги приводится хронология жизни и творчества мастера, а также библиография значительных трудов о Рембрандте, вышедших во всем мире.

Посмотреть англоязычное издание книги Рембрандт - Rembrandt