1638 (ca.), Rembrandt van Rijn, Self-Portrait -- Norton Simon Museum (Pasadena)
From the museum label:
Rembrandt was his own favorite model. There is no moment in his biography that he did not vividly represent. Portrayed with a velvet beret, a longstanding symbol of creative ability, and a gold chain, traditionally awarded to artists by a noble patron, Rembrandt elevates himself to the status of a fine artist, an important distinction at a time when artists were only beginning to realize their social standing among the cultured elite.
His facture, that is the application and thickness of the paint, elicited both praise and scorn by the critics. For instance, Rembrandt employed cream-colored dabs of paint to suggest the reflection of gold on the decorative chains around his neck and his beret. As the paint calls attention to itself, it trespasses the boundary of illusion.
1638 (ca.), Rembrandt van Rijn, Self-Portrait -- Norton Simon Museum (Pasadena)
From the museum label:
Rembrandt was his own favorite model. There is no moment in his biography that he did not vividly represent. Portrayed with a velvet beret, a longstanding symbol of creative ability, and a gold chain, traditionally awarded to artists by a noble patron, Rembrandt elevates himself to the status of a fine artist, an important distinction at a time when artists were only beginning to realize their social standing among the cultured elite.
His facture, that is the application and thickness of the paint, elicited both praise and scorn by the critics. For instance, Rembrandt employed cream-colored dabs of paint to suggest the reflection of gold on the decorative chains around his neck and his beret. As the paint calls attention to itself, it trespasses the boundary of illusion.