Rembrandt
Govert Flinck
Ferdinand Bol
Gerbrand van den Eeckhout
Carel Fabritius
Nicolaes Maes
Lee Hendrix
Peter Schatborn
The exhibition explores the differences between Rembrandt's drawings and those of his most important pupils artists such as Govert Flinck, Ferdinand Bol, Gerbrand van den Eeckhout, Carel Fabritius and Nicolaes Maes, many of whose identities and artistic styles have been revealed and clarified by decades of research. On view are many of Rembrandt's most arresting sheets, as well as those of comparable beauty and importance by his students. Curated by Lee Hendrix and Peter Schatborn.
curated by Lee Hendrix and Peter Schatborn
The J. Paul Getty Museum has organized an extraordinary exhibition, which is
the result of more than 30 years of scholarly research on the working practice of the great
Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669) and the teaching process he employed in his
studio. Drawings by Rembrandt and His Pupils: Telling the Difference will be on view
exclusively at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center from December 8, 2009-February
28, 2010.
The exhibition will explore the differences between Rembrandt’s drawings and
those of his most important pupils-- artists such as Govert Flinck, Ferdinand Bol, Gerbrand van
den Eeckhout, Carel Fabritius, and Nicolaes Maes-- many of whose identities and artistic styles
have been revealed and clarified by decades of research. On view will be many of Rembrandt’s
most arresting sheets, as well as those of comparable beauty and importance by his students.
“Only a handful of artists have become so iconic that we refer to them by one name,
and few have been hailed with more superlatives than Rembrandt,” says Michael Brand,
director of the J. Paul Getty Museum. “I am pleased that the Getty Museum has organized this
remarkable exhibition based on decades of research by leading scholars—bringing to Los
Angeles Rembrandt’s finest drawings from around the world.”
For centuries, scholars have struggled to discern the difference between drawings by
Rembrandt and those of his pupils. From the time of his early success in Leiden and
Amsterdam, Rembrandt maintained one of the most active studios of the 17th century—with
more than 50 students passing through during its nearly 40 years of operation. In the studio,
Rembrandt’s numerous students imitated the master’s drawing style, rendering the same
subjects that he did, drawing from the same models, and even accompanying him on sketching
trips outdoors (as in the pair illustrated on page one by Rembrandt and Abraham Furnerius, in
which the both artists drew the same site). Because his pupils drew so assiduously in his
style, there was confusion about the authorship of the work – even immediately after his
death.
Distinguishing drawings by Rembrandt from those of his pupils poses a special
challenge because unlike paintings and prints, 17th century drawings were rarely signed and
later attributions to “Rembrandt” were often incorrect. Over the past 30 years, however,
scholars have developed and refined their methods, and have brought extraordinary clarity to
this massive body of work. First, they identified core groups of drawings, often preparatory to
paintings or prints, which can be confidently attached to Rembrandt or to different artists who
studied with him. These core groups provide the standard against which more questionable
attributions can be tested by closely investigating characteristic visual traits. These visual traits
comprise an artist’s style—the handling of line, the description of space and volume, the
evocation of light, and the rendering of expressions and gestures. The once amorphous body
of drawings regarded as “Rembrandt” has yielded many newly differentiated artistic
personalities.
The difference between Rembrandt’s artistic personality and those of his pupils is
highlighted by the exhibition’s organization as a series of carefully selected pairs of drawings.
These pairs, with Rembrandt typically on the left and the pupil on the right, depict the same or
similar subjects and usually date to the period when the pupil studied or worked with
Rembrandt, taking the visitor on a chronological tour through Rembrandt’s studio, from its
earliest days to the end.
This journey begins with Rembrandt and Jan Lievens (1607-1674), the only artist in the
exhibition who was not Rembrandt’s pupil, but rather his close, early artistic compatriot in
their native city of Leiden. In their beautiful, moving early drawings, which are very close in
style, Rembrandt and Lievens originated the subject of elderly men and women that would
become so widespread in Dutch 17th-century art. After Rembrandt moved to Amsterdam in
1631 his teaching moved into high gear and he took on a steady stream of talented and
uniquely gifted pupils, many of whom went on to become famous artists themselves.
Govert Flinck (1615-1660) entered Rembrandt’s studio in about 1635. The Rembrandt
and Flinck pairings within the exhibition includes powerful studies of a famous Amsterdam
actor and moving biblical narratives. Ferdinand Bol (1616-1680) came to study with
Rembrandt in about 1637. The Rembrandt and Bol group includes portraits and a beautiful
pair of studies of the Annunciation. Another of these earlier pupils, Gerbrand van den
Eeckhout (1621-1674) was one of the most talented and versatile draftsmen to come out of
the studio. Rembrandt made a few spectacular brush drawings, which greatly influenced Van
den Eeckhout as he went on to make his most celebrated sheets.
In the 1640s and 1650s, a diverse group of pupils studied with Rembrandt, including
Abraham Furnerius (ca. 1628-1645), Carel Fabritius (1622-1654), Nicolaes Maes (1634-1673)
and Constantijn Daniel van Renesse (1626-1680). Furnerius was exclusively a landscapist and
his drawings indicate that he accompanied Rembrandt on sketching trips in and around
Amsterdam. Carel Fabritius, one of the most famous and beloved painters to come out of
Rembrandt’s studio, is almost unknown as a draftsman until now. The exhibition will include
several impressive drawings newly attributed to him. Maes further developed and popularized
the “Rembrandtesque” theme of old women, which will be featured in the Rembrandt and
Maes pairings in the exhibition. Van Renesse is especially interesting for being the only
amateur draftsman documented as studying with Rembrandt. His drawings are especially
revealing because Rembrandt himself corrected them, which in turn yields insight into
Rembrandt’s teaching methods.
Studying the nude in life drawing sessions emerges as an important theme in
Rembrandt’s late studio work. Among the most spectacular pairs in the exhibition is one
depicting seated female nudes by Rembrandt and his late pupil, Arent de Gelder (1645-1727).
Both drawings show the same model but from different vantage points, and recent
observations about the handling of light, shadow, and line enable us to distinguish
Rembrandt’s drawing from that of De Gelder, which at one time was also thought to be by
Rembrandt.
The controversy surrounding the authorship of works of art by Rembrandt and his
pupils can be mystifying to all but specialists. Opinions about authorship have often been
delivered with little explanation as to the method used for arriving at them. The subtitle of this
exhibition – Telling the Difference—emphasizes its goal of showing visitors what to look for in
order to enable them to understand the methodology for themselves. Details of the drawings
are highlighted and reproduced on labels, which also use clear and precise terms to describe
differences. Various other tools are available throughout the exhibition, so that gradually
visitors will be more and more confident and proficient at “telling the difference” on their own.
Covering its nearly 40 year span and fifteen pupils, the exhibition offers what may be
the most comprehensive coverage of the Rembrandt studio ever attempted. Visitors will come
away with a rich experience of the studio’s workings, as well as a better understanding of the
issues of authorship. Visitors will also confront the massive and recent changes in scholarly
understanding of these drawings, with over 70 of the more than 100 drawings in the
exhibition either currently or formerly assigned to Rembrandt.
Because of their fragility, and the importance of drawings by iconic artists such as
Rembrandt, it is often difficult to secure loans for exhibitions. However, colleagues at
institutions in America and abroad understood the significance of this exhibition, and the Getty
received an unprecedented number of loans from the world's greatest collections of old master
drawings. The Museum is profoundly grateful for the more than 100 drawings being generously
lent by 33 institutions, including the British Museum, London; the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam;
the Musée du Louvre, Paris; the Kupferstichkabinett, Berlin; the Szépmüvészeti Múzeum,
Budapest; the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; the National Gallery of Art, Washington,
D.C.; the Art Institute of Chicago; the Pierpont Morgan Library and Museum, New York; and
several private collections in Europe and America. The exhibition will also include six drawings
from the Getty’s own collection.
Drawings by Rembrandt and His Pupils: Telling the Difference is organized by the J.
Paul Getty Museum and curated by Lee Hendrix, the Getty’s Senior Curator of Drawings and
Peter Schatborn, Emeritus Head of the Rijksprentenkabinet of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
The exhibition will also be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue, which will summarize
the extensive research in a concise, accessible, and visually compelling volume. The catalogue
has been prepared by an international team of experts—Dr. Holm Bevers, Curator of
Netherlandish Drawings and Prints of the Berlin Kupferstichkabinett and Dr. William W.
Robinson, George and Maida Abrams Curator of Drawings, Harvard Art Museum/Fogg
Museum, as well as Hendrix and Schatborn.
This landmark exhibition will take place only at the Getty and will be the subject of a
symposium open to the public (reservations required) on February 2, 2010. Consult the Getty
website for lectures and other related programs.
MEDIA CONTACT: Rebecca Taylor
Getty Communications
310-440-6427
retaylor@getty.edu
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