The works are Rembrandt have always proven successful in exhibitions hosted by museums and galleries all around the world. The National Gallery in Prague, Czech Republic, has the chance of presenting until January 31 2008 one of the rarest paintings of the Dutch master, "A Bearded Man in a Cap". It was made at a time when artists made generally depictions of heads or half-length figures, using anonymous studio models, as these kind of compositions was very much in demand. Painters prefered to focus on facial expressions and costumes in these works, and Rembrandt used this genre both as a way of getting better and as a way of getting more popular.
According to researchers, the bearded man in this work might be "a rabbi", most probably a regular Jew, as Rembrandt lived in close proximity to the Jewish community in Amsterdam in 1639 -1659, often choosing his models from there. Yet, this theory has been rejected by others, who claim that the model wasn't Jewish at all, as the same type of cap was used by Rembrandt in his works starting with the 1650's. Also, this old man served as a model for the master in 1653 - 1661, as he appears in other compositions, such as Aristotle Contemplating a Bust of Homer. In all probability, Rembrandt must have worked directly from life, with this model before him, using a restrained technique and various effects. He also would later corect the work, adding various outlines and contours. The date is slightly covered with paint, but it seems it was 1657.
In the 1650s, Rembrandt decided to paint a rather large number of works such as this, due to the demand on the open market, and to some extent these could be considered as forming a series. The main common characteristics were the dark background, the brownish colours and the somewhat vague athmosphere.
2007-10-05
