Rembrandt, his life, his work and his time . tsman, almost wholly in shadow, is partly hidden behind abird he holds up by itslegs. The light fallsfull on its carefullypainted plumage, whichunder Rembrandts brushyields a richness ofeffect truly surprising inview of the restrictedcolour-scheme. By meansof tones closely alliedand very simple—grays,pale yellows, yellowsrather more intense,russets streaked orflecked with browns, thehappy distribution ofwhich he utilises withgreat skill—the masterproduces a most originalharmony, at once re-ticent and as the resultunquestionably is, we
Rembrandt, his life, his work and his time . tsman, almost wholly in shadow, is partly hidden behind abird he holds up by itslegs. The light fallsfull on its carefullypainted plumage, whichunder Rembrandts brushyields a richness ofeffect truly surprising inview of the restrictedcolour-scheme. By meansof tones closely alliedand very simple—grays,pale yellows, yellowsrather more intense,russets streaked orflecked with browns, thehappy distribution ofwhich he utilises withgreat skill—the masterproduces a most originalharmony, at once re-ticent and as the resultunquestionably is, we believe the work to have been primarily aninstructive exercise to which Rembrandt looked for ulterior advan-tages. Later we shall find him profiting by the experience thusacquired, and making use of the scale of colour he had here learntto handle, as an expressive accompaniment to the more animated andfrankly resonant notes contained in the carnations of his portraits, andof the figures in his compositions. When he brought some strongly. SAMSON THREATENING HIS FATHER-IN-LAW. About 1635 (Berlin Museum). THE BITTERN 229 illuminated head into brilliant relief against tawny furs or dark velvets,the painter was in fact utilising studies where nature had suppliedthe raw material his rare genius turned to such intelligent account. Though the picture in the Dresden Gallery seemed to usconvincing evidence ofthe methods above sug-gested, we should per-haps have hesitated topronounce what mightpossibly have been amere fortuitous essay,one in a deliberate seriesof experimental there is ample proofthat Rembrandt madesuch exercises a frequentpractice. Several worksof this class figure inhis inventory, notably aFish, a Hare, a Bittern(perhaps the Dresden pic-ture), and three Vanitas,which he had have already pointedout that several of theearly works painted atLeyden contained studiesof still-life. Mr. W. of London,owns a study of a dead pea-hen, with
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookpublisherlondo, bookyear1894
