Self Portrait Journal of Rembrandt Research Paper

Self Portrait Journal of Rembrandt - Research Paper Example In 1659, I painted my self-portrait, following the struggles of the financial crisis, after years of success as an artist. The main reasons for the self-portrait and the choice of the art type had a lot to show about my experiences, and pointed to a change of subject, from those reflected in previous works. In order to understand the reasons for painting the self-portrait, it is important to note the events of my life that had come before the painting of the work. After years of success as a writer, I suffered a financial crisis and failure, and the painting was the reassurance that I needed for myself, and also one that would keep the faith of my audiences high. After losing a house and other valuable properties through an auction, I painted a self-portrait looking into the eyes of the viewer, as an expression of dignity and strength, despite the loss. Further, as a person, I felt that I needed to reassure myself through the painting that I still had the strength and the dignity that I needed to remain relevant in the area of art. In the self-portrait, the illumination of the head and the shoulder was intentional. It was meant to show a posture of confidence and power, in the eyes of all viewers and among my peers in the field of art. The appearance of clasped hands was another indicator of the poise that I still commanded in the field of art and in other circles as well. Further, the self-portrait drew a lot from the inspiration of a portrait done earlier in Balthasar Castiglione, which was also an expression of a highly experienced painter. Through the quality and the poise of the figure in the painting, I wanted to project the aptitude of a highly experienced and learned painter.