Self Portrait Blog - B

Rembrandt van Rijn painted this self portrait in 1661. This one was done later in his life (age 55) after some personal setbacks. Here he presents himself as a more humbled, less assertive person, especially when compared with his self portraits over 20 years earlier. He shows his sagging cheeks & shoulders and wrinkles in his forehead. He is actually painting himself as St. Paul with his traditional sword slightly visible. Rembrandt was one of the Baroque period's greatest painters. He, like Caravaggio, often used dramatic lighting in his portraits. The diagonal felling to this painting is another characteristic of Baroque period paintings.