Rembrandt: The Greatest Dutch Painter
伦勃朗·范·莱茵(Rembrandt van Rijn)(1606–1669)，欧洲巴洛克绘画艺术的代表人物，被称为荷兰历史上最伟大的画家。
Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669), the representative of European Baroque painting, is known as the most celebrated painter in Dutch history.
伦勃朗从师雅各伯(Jacob van Swanenburg)以及拉斯特曼(Pieter Lastman)，19岁时开设了自己的画室，21岁时已开始招收学徒。伦勃朗受卡拉瓦乔的影响，在作品中大量使用明暗对照让人物栩栩如生。与意大利画家对于美、和谐的追求不同，伦勃朗在画面中着力表现的是真实，因而除了快乐，衰老、伤痛也是伦勃朗笔下的主题。
Rembrandt’s teachers Jacob van Swanenburg and Pieter Lastman opened their own studio at the age of 19, and began recruiting apprentices at the age of 21. Rembrandt was influenced by Caravaggio, and he used a lot of contrasts in his works to bring the characters to life. Unlike the Italian painter’s pursuit of beauty and harmony, Rembrandt focuses on expressing truth in the picture, so in addition to happiness, aging and pain are also the subjects of Rembrandt’s pen.
1634年，伦勃朗与富有的莎斯基亚(Saskia van Uylenburgh)结婚。婚后生活幸福且富足，可谓是伦勃朗一生中最幸福的十年。但好景不长，他们生了四个孩子，却接连死亡，妻子也在生下第四个孩子不久后去世。伦勃朗卷入了官司中，陷入财政危机，名誉受损。
In 1634, Rembrandt married the wealthy Saskia van Uylenburgh. A happy and prosperous life after marriage is the happiest decade in Rembrandt’s life. But the good times did not last long. They gave birth to four children but died one after another. The wife also gave birth to a fourth child and died shortly after. Rembrandt was involved in the lawsuit, plunged into a financial crisis, and damaged his reputation.
妻子过世后，伦勃朗与女仆斯托菲(Hendrickje Stoffels)住在了一起，两人生有一女。但这段关系也被教会认为是不忠的、罪恶的。这使得原本已名誉受损的伦勃朗生活更加艰难，很快就到了破产的边缘。
After his wife’s death, Rembrandt lived with his maid, Hendrickje Stoffels, and they had a daughter. But this relationship is also considered unfaithful and sinful by the church. This made life difficult for Rembrandt, whose reputation had been damaged, and soon reached the brink of bankruptcy.
两位女子都在伦勃朗的人生中扮演了极为重要角色，也成为他的绘画作品中女性角色的参照。
Both women played a vital role in Rembrandt’s life and became a reference to the female character in his paintings.
这幅以圣经旧约故事《朱迪斯斩杀赫罗弗尼斯》为题的朱迪斯肖像画，就是以他的原配妻子莎斯基亚为原型。伦勃朗将明暗对照法使用至极致，使得人物沉浸于黑暗之中，营造出一份紧张感。此外，他对人物衣着进行了精细地刻画，再加上叠涂法的使用，人物顿时产生了立体感。一位勇敢、沉静的朱迪斯便如此跃然纸上了。
This portrait of Judith titled with Old Testament story “Judith at the Banquet of Holofernes” is based on his original wife, Saskia. Rembrandt uses bold contrast between light and dark to the extreme so that the characters are immersed in the darkness, creating a sense of tension. Also, he carefully portrayed the character’s clothing, and the use of the overlay method, the figure suddenly produced a three-dimensional sense. A brave and quiet Judith “jumped” on the paper.
伦勃朗从青年到暮年创作过多幅自画像。这些画作，帮助我们更好的了解他在每个人生阶段的状态。青年的伦勃朗英气蓬勃，可以看到他的勇敢和对未来的憧憬。中年时的伦勃朗，眼神中似乎多了一丝平静。暮年时的伦勃朗，眉头微皱，目光疲惫，似乎在向观者倾诉他内心的悲哀。
Rembrandt produced many self-portraits from youth to old age. These paintings help us better understand his state at each stage of life. The youth’s Rembrandt is brisk, and he can see his bravery and longing for the future. Rembrandt, in his middle age, seemed to have a trace of calm in his eyes. Rembrandt, in his twilight years, his brow furrowed, his eyes tired, and he appeared to confide his inner sadness to the viewer.
