Leiden circa 1630: Rembrandt Emerges

Published in commemoration of the 350th anniversary of the death of Rembrandt van Rijn, this thoroughly illustrated publication documents the artist's early career, a period marked by daring experimentation that culminated in a signature pictorial vocabulary. After years of refining his skill, his work around this time displays the powerful chiaroscuro, gestural lucidity, and rigorous evocation of materiality that predict his finest achievements in his later Amsterdam period. Contextualized by work from his colleagues and students, Rembrandt emerges as a defining figure of the Leiden market. Featuring the strengths of The Bader Collection, such as Rembrandt's Head of an Old Man in a Cap and Jan Lievensz's Head of an Old Woman in Profile, as well as works from collections of Dutch art across Canada, the exhibition catalogue presents a focused view of the trademark subjects and styles that made the artist's reputation. Essays celebrate the artistic import, savvy self-promotion and stylistic identity that Rembrandt cultivated and modelled to those in his circle.