Details

Name

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn

Brief Biography

1606 - 1669, Dutch

Occupation

Artist; Engraver

Description

Rembrandt was born in Leiden in 1606, the son of a miller. By 1625 he was practising as an independent artist there. In 1631, he sought to expand his practice by moving to Amsterdam, where he made his fortune in the 1630s and 1640s, principally as a portrait painter. His immense success led to many pupils and imitators working in his style. The great group portrait known as The Night Watch (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam), painted in 1642, marked the high point of his finances and personal life. His later years were clouded by personal misfortune, financial hardship and a general decline in the popularity of his style.