Dutch painter Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was born in Leiden to a family of modest means on this day in 1606. Rembrandt achieved a profound understanding of human emotion and nature coupled with brilliant technique. Much of his prodigious output portrayed Biblical and theological themes despite the fact that orthodox ideas and Scriptural vignettes were not considered serious subjects for art at the time in Holland. His works are characterized by
chiaroscuro, or the contrast between light and dark.
Actually, Biblical themes had fallen out of favor by Rembrandt's time. Instead, artists tended to paint mythological themes or even more commonly, synchronistic themes--where mythological characters and Biblical characters are portrayed in the same scenes, thus mythologizing the Scriptures. Rembrandt, for all his personal sinfulness, did not resort to such heterodoxy.
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