Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606 - 1669), Self-Portrait, Frowning, 1630, etching
By means of a wonderful ability to fix an idea in his mind, Rembrandt knew how to capture the momentary appearances of emotion whenever they appeared in the face before him.Rembrandt painted, drew, and etched so many self-portraits that changes in his appearance invite us to gauge his moods by comparing one to the other; we read these images biographically because the artist forces us to do so by confronting us directly.
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