| Portrait of a Boy, 1640 |
Although Rembrandt apparently never painted a commissioned portrait of a child - perhaps because they would not pose long enough to suit him - many of his pupils were only too happy to fill this gap in the market left by their master. One of the most resourceful of these was Flinck (1615-60), who studied with Rembrandt in the mid 1630s and rapidly eclipsed him in popularity, eventually earning the commission to paint all of the historical pictures for the New Town Hall in Amsterdam in 1659. This painting is one of Flinck’s most engaging children’s portraits. It depicts a young boy, fashionably dressed and holding a cane. He is shown full-length against an atmospheric and diversified landscape which is freely and fluidly painted in a range of browns and greys that calls to mind Rembrandt’s own portraits of the 1630s. The low horizon line emphasises the youthful sitter’s stature and dramatically silhouettes his head and torso against the brooding sky. Though the sitter was long thought to be unknown, it has recently been suggested that he was David Leeuw, the eight year old cousin of a nephew of Flinck’s and the son of a wealthy businessman and art collector, who later bequeathed to him eighteen paintings and drawings, including three by Rembrandt himself. Category: Painting Institute: The Barber Institute of Fine Arts Your Comments (0)
 Tell Us What You Think
|
||
Show/Hide comments
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
