Man drawing from a cast.

During his lifetime, Rembrandt's extraordinary skills as a printmaker were the main source of his international fame. Unlike his oil paintings, prints travelled light and were relatively cheap. For this reason, they soon became very popular with collectors not only within, but also beyond the borders of the Netherlands. It also explains why, in later centuries, they were affordable for Bishop Ditlev Monrad, who donated this print to the Colonial Museum in 1869, and Sir John Ilott, who donated 39 of them to the National Art Gallery.

Offering a private view into the effort of an artist, Rembrandt depicts the action of drawing in Man Drawing from a Cast. Drawing after sculptures or plaster casts was a regular part of artistic training; only after having mastered this sufficiently was the young painter allowed to draw from the living model. Your own sketches, but also drawings and prints by other artists, were a reservoir of information and inspiration, to be delved into at will. These same methods appear to be employed in the workshop depicted here as well, given the large number of albums, books and papers stuffed into the cabinets in the background. A large-sized book has even been used as an improvised socle for the cast.

Rembrandt's technique is important to the success of this intimate etching. Beyond the man and his cast, the world retreats, as a single candle illuminates this quiet night scene. The limited light directs both our focus and the man's, and subtle tonal shifts move across the lowly lit forms, rendering this scene with precision. Through his use of contrasts, Rembrandt evokes the moment as not so much one of solitude, as of intimacy. There could, in addition, be a moral subtext to the work: practice makes perfect. There is surely an autobiographical element operating; the features of the artist depicted here bear a slight resemblance to Rembrandt's own, even if it is not a self-portrait.

This impression is from the first of six states; only this state was by Rembrandt himself. It pre-dates the addition of regular cross-hatching to the area of shadow behind the cast’s head, and was previously catalogued as a second state etching.

References: New Hollstein Dutch 192, 1st of 6 states; Hollstein Dutch 130, 1st of 3 states

 

See:

The Kremer Collection, http://www.thekremercollection.com/rembrandt-harmensz-van-rijn-man-drawing-from-a-cast/

Masterworks Fine Art, https://www.masterworksfineart.com/artist/harmensz-van-rijn-rembrandt/man-drawing-from-a-cast-1641/

 

Dr Mark Stocker      Curator, Historical International Art      September 2017