Rembrandt was a 1600’s artist of realism and portraits….a wealthy famous painter

Who was Rembrandt?

A painter from the Netherlands

• Grew up in Baroque period as a painter and printmaker in 1600’s
• Lived to age 63
• Had a rare name for that time – Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn
• Realism
• Mostly used pen/ink and chalk
• Started with small scale paintings and small etchings
• He taught students paintings and portraits very often because he was well known
• Was quite liked and appreciated for his intelligence and painting knowledge
• Was wealthy and in high society – many wealthy noble families utilized his painting skills
• Sculptures in 17th century and 18th century including gilt and gold
• He was married and had many kids but only one child survived

Resources:

• Rembrandt – Dutch Master, Paintings, Etchings | Britannica
• Rembrandt (1606–1669): Paintings | Essay | The Metropolitan Museum of Art | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History (metmuseum.org)
• Rembrandt – Night Watch, Self Portraits & Paintings (biography.com)
• Rembrandt For Kids — Famous Artists for Kids (youtube.com)
• 10 Resplendent Rembrandt Art Projects for Kids (artsycraftsymom.com)
• Rembrandt Art Projects for Kids « Susan’s Homeschool Blog (susanevans.org)
• https://www.halfahundredacrewood.com/rembrandt-art-project-making-faces/

Art Activity:

Silly funny portraits of faces here:

Courtesy of Hundred Acre Wood

1. Print the blank face template below
2. Print out the silly faces template below
3. Cut out faces and paste on one blank portrait face
4. Then try copying onto the blank face paper below it

Other Option:

1. Print out a photo of your child’s face
2. Cut photo in half
3. paste on one side of the face template
4. Have child draw the other half of their face

Books:

MagellanTV:

Printables for Faces below:

Extensions: Compare the darkness/ colors of the baroque period vs. Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel and the way it was painted, how it was painted and the materials available during the time period.

In this lesson, I showed my children how the face is separated into “sections” and when painting or drawing a face, our forehead is not tiny with eyes in our forehead. We have a balanced face and the ears are closer to the middle of the face.

I sketched a few different faces on the whiteboard showing how our perspective changes as we get older. This also relates to our changing “reality” and realism as we see life.

The kids found it funny how a young 5 year old may draw a face like the one on the left and then as middle and high school age, we may draw a face closer to the one on the right. I imagine this is just one of the concepts that Rembrandt taught his wealthy noble students as they came from all over the country to meet with the famous artist and study under him.

Overall I found that Rembrandt, while a tricky artist to fully appreciate and make an activity, was a good lesson to teach because of the history of the artist. It also allows for flexibility in how you want to teach about Rembrandt. You can discuss Baroque period, realism, perspective, facial proportions and portraits. A great art lesson that can go in many different directions depending on the skill and age level of your children.