Until May 22, you can visit the exhibition called “RAW” at the Rembrandt House in Amsterdam. In this group show, ten of Rembrandt’s etchings elicit a pair of works by 13 contemporary artists who present realistic perspectives on the human body.
A realistic depiction of the human body itself…not as obvious as it seems. For centuries, we have idealized how we and others look. Today, we do this using Photoshop, plastic surgery, and filters on social media. In the 17th century, they idealized the way people looked at art. However, Rembrandt did not. He sees others (and himself) with an open and curious eye, and often portrays characters in the most authentic way possible.
Rembrandt depicted people without idealizing them. Even as public tastes changed in the mid-17th century and people began to prefer smoother, more refined images, he remained true to his lifelike approach. In his etchings you can see various human bodies.
Rembrandt created self-portraits throughout his career as an artist. Many of his etched self-portraits were created between 1628 and 1630. These are small sizes. Rembrandt sat in front of the mirror and experimented with different facial expressions. He looked at himself with realistic eyes: the wrinkles between the eyebrows, the bags under the eyes, the messy hair was definitely not straightened out.
Tomorrow we will be exhibiting contemporary art corresponding to Rembrandt’s prints, so don’t miss it! 
PS: Here are six of the most incredible self-portraits from Rembrandt.
90 × 76 mm
Dutch Golden Age Paintings
Rembrandthuis
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