Self-portrait
Despite his lack of experience, the young Rembrandt was not afraid to experiment. In this early self portrait the light brushes past his right cheek. The rest of the face is cloaked in shadow. It takes a moment to realise that the artist is staring intently, directly at the viewer. Rembrandt used the back of his brush to scratch in the wet paint, to accentuate the curls of his wild, unkempt hair.
c. 1628
Oil on panel
22.6 x 18.7cm
SK-A-4691
Image and text courtesy of Rijksmuseum, 2019
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Rijksmuseum
Permanent collection
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Self portrait
Rembrandt at the Rijksmuseum
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