Rembrandt (1606-1669)
Saint Bartholomew
1657
Oil on canvas, 122.7 x 99.7 cm
Timken Museum of Art, San Diego
Rembrandt van Rijn is one of the greatest artists of all time and acclaimed for his compelling representations of the human condition. Known primarily for his portraits and landscapes, Rembrandt remained interested throughout his life in history and biblical painting. The subject of this large, dramatic painting from the artist’s mature period is Saint Bartholomew, one of the twelve apostles. The apostle, flayed alive for his beliefs, holds in his right hand a butcher’s knife, a symbol of his martyrdom. The saint’s slightly unsettled pose and expression of deep thought suggest that he is contemplating his own demise. Rembrandt conveys a mood of introspection in his late works-in contrast to his earlier, more theatrical pictures-and renders light, textures, and the sense of form in space with complex schemes of loose brushwork and glazes. (Timken)