Rembrandt, his life, his work and his time . ent poetry andsignificance of the theme. Numerous as these works are—and we must include among themseveral of the scenes from the Passion painted for the Stathouder—they give but an incomplete idea of Rembrandts activity at thisperiod. We must further note the drawings and etchings executedduring these years. The subjects are, as before, drawn mainly fromthe Scriptures. The first we are concerned with is a Return ofthe Prodigal, dated 1636 (B. 91), the treatment of which is free andsomewhat hasty. As in many of the masters works, the actiontakes pla
Rembrandt, his life, his work and his time . ent poetry andsignificance of the theme. Numerous as these works are—and we must include among themseveral of the scenes from the Passion painted for the Stathouder—they give but an incomplete idea of Rembrandts activity at thisperiod. We must further note the drawings and etchings executedduring these years. The subjects are, as before, drawn mainly fromthe Scriptures. The first we are concerned with is a Return ofthe Prodigal, dated 1636 (B. 91), the treatment of which is free andsomewhat hasty. As in many of the masters works, the actiontakes place on the threshold of a house, raised above the level ofthe ground by two or three steps. The wanderer returns after themany trials he has undergone, and kneels, ragged and dishevelled,at his fathers feet. The old man presses him tenderly to hisheart ; his mother and the servants, hearing the noise, have hurriedto the spot. The Abraham dismissing Hagar (B. 30), though Tobias and the Angel (about 1636). (mr M, H. SPIELMANNS COLLECTION,). ? ETCHINGS OF THIS PERIOD 235 later by a year, has neither the breadth of treatment nor the expres-sive power of the earlier plate. Both types and composition havea certain vulgarity ; and the master has made local colour a pre-text for the indulgence of his taste for Orientalisms : he representsIshmael in Turkish costume, and the patriarch in a turban and along fur-lined robe. Hagar dries her tears with a voluminoushandkerchief, while her rival watches her departure with manifestsatisfaction from a window above. In the landscape background werecognise the lofty buildings that shut out the horizon in the Susannaat the Bath of the Hague Museum, which was painted at the sameperiod. The Abraham caressing Isaac (B. 33), probably executedthe same year, has more of breadth, if not of distinction. The firm.,decisive handling, marks important technical advance, and the masterhas given great richness and animation to the plate by the flow andclose i
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookpublisherlondo, bookyear1894
