Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn

In 1620, Rembrandt van Rijn attended the University of Leiden. Inspired by nature, he was driven to paint and left the university. He trained with Jacob Isaacsz van Swanenburgh and, in 1624, worked with Pieter Lastman in Amsterdam. At age twenty-two, he returned to Leiden and established a studio where he took on his first pupils, Gerrit Dou and Isaac Jouderville. In 1632, Rembrandt settled in Amsterdam, living with Henrick van Ulyenburgh and helping run his "academy", essentially a studio that accepted many portrait commissions. There, Rembrandt took on several students. His incoming portrait commissions helped him through financial difficulties in the late 1650s. Rembrandt studied the Italian masters and was influenced by Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titian.

Rembrandt painted biblical and mythical scenes as well as landscapes, portraits, and wildlife. He used deep colors and bold imagery. Rembrandt was famed for his intensified light and shadow and his ability to establish an emotional connection between the viewer and his subject. During his prolific career, he created 600 paintings, 300 etchings, and 2,000 drawings.

Rembrandt's work is recognized in many private collections and museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, the Louvre, the Prado, the Rijksmuseum, and the State Hermitage Museum.