Portrait of Marten Looten
Christian Gutierrez
Dr. Wendy Slatkin
ART 213
19 November 2012
The Portrait of Marten Looten
There have been many great artists throughout the history of mankind. World famous and household names such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Picasso may be the first to come to mind. However there is one artist who perhaps surpasses the aforementioned names in terms of technical skill; a man who is incredibly proficient in the fields of painting and especially etching; a man who’s work symbolizes an entire period of art spanning the majority of the 17th century: Remrandt van Rijn. He has produced quite a large amount of paintings, many of them portraits, but one is of particular interest. The Portrait of Marten Looten is an extraordinary painting, commissioned by successful Dutch merchant Marten Looten himself in 1632. The painting is quite impressive. Using oil paint on a wooden canvas, Rembrandt created an almost unreal representation of another human being. The amount of detail put into the piece is staggering; it is incredibly lifelike. Considering how beautifully Marten is modeled, and the size of the painting (about life-sized), the viewer actually gets the feeling that they are looking at the figure through a window into the next room.
The composition of the painting is more or less that of the traditional portrait style. Rembrandt placed Marten directly in the center of the painting, in front of a rather plain background, with his entire body above the waist in sight. Marten is looking directly at the viewer. His face, the most attractive feature of the painting, is placed just above the main horizontal axis, intensifying the attraction of the viewer. Rembrandt portrayed Marten as the true businessman he was; his large black hat and long black cape are symbols of his wealthy status. Marten’s hand gestures and turned head suggest movement, as if he has just turned to face the viewer. He is holding an open, previously folded piece of parchment in his
Dr. Wendy Slatkin
ART 213
19 November 2012
The Portrait of Marten Looten
There have been many great artists throughout the history of mankind. World famous and household names such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Picasso may be the first to come to mind. However there is one artist who perhaps surpasses the aforementioned names in terms of technical skill; a man who is incredibly proficient in the fields of painting and especially etching; a man who’s work symbolizes an entire period of art spanning the majority of the 17th century: Remrandt van Rijn. He has produced quite a large amount of paintings, many of them portraits, but one is of particular interest. The Portrait of Marten Looten is an extraordinary painting, commissioned by successful Dutch merchant Marten Looten himself in 1632. The painting is quite impressive. Using oil paint on a wooden canvas, Rembrandt created an almost unreal representation of another human being. The amount of detail put into the piece is staggering; it is incredibly lifelike. Considering how beautifully Marten is modeled, and the size of the painting (about life-sized), the viewer actually gets the feeling that they are looking at the figure through a window into the next room.
The composition of the painting is more or less that of the traditional portrait style. Rembrandt placed Marten directly in the center of the painting, in front of a rather plain background, with his entire body above the waist in sight. Marten is looking directly at the viewer. His face, the most attractive feature of the painting, is placed just above the main horizontal axis, intensifying the attraction of the viewer. Rembrandt portrayed Marten as the true businessman he was; his large black hat and long black cape are symbols of his wealthy status. Marten’s hand gestures and turned head suggest movement, as if he has just turned to face the viewer. He is holding an open, previously folded piece of parchment in his
Cited: Broos, B. P. J., et al. "Rembrandt van Rijn." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. <http://0- www.oxfordartonline.com.opac.library.csupomona.edu/subscriber/article/grove/art/ T071362>. Westermann, Mariët. "Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn." The Oxford Companion to Western Art. Ed.Hugh Brigstocke. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. <http://0- www.oxfordartonline.com.opac.library.csupomona.edu/subscriber/article/opr/t118/ e2198>. www.rembrandtonline.org. 2002-2012. Rembrandt Online. November 2012. <http://www.rembrandtonline.org/>.