Rembrandt: Fathers and Sons DVD
Devine Entertainment
The film is set in 1641 when Rembrandt (TOM McCAMUS) is the portrait painter of choice for Amsterdam’s bourgeoisie thanks in part to his well-connected and beautiful young wife Saskia (KARI MATCHETT). However, he finds himself less and less challenged by portraits of the rich and famous, so he indulges himself by purchasing art and other rare and beautiful objects for his collection. As well, he becomes caught up in the trials of his young neighbour Samuel (MITCHELL DAVID ROTHPAN), who is locked in fierce adolescent rebellion against his father, the respected Rabbi Menasseh Ben Israel (PAUL HECHT). Samuel refuses to become a scholar like his father. As a compromise, Rembrandt and the pregnant Saskia, propose that Samuel become a studio apprentice while he waits for word from his uncle and a ship to take him to the new world. The arrangement brings an unexpected surprise when Rembrandt learns that the boy’s true talent lies in the art of printing.
Meanwhile, Rembrandt reluctantly accepts a commission for militia commander Captain Cocq (ROSS PETTY) on the condition that it will not be a conventional group portrait. As he begins the work, Rembrandt is overjoyed at the birth of his son Titus, but he falls apart when his beloved Saskia dies soon after. He neglects his art and his infant son. When Captain Cocq continuously demands to see the work-in-progress, Rembrandt knows that he may risk losing the commission and his reputation with his radical departure from the genre.
Finally, Samuel, who is distressed by Rembrandt’s lack of interest in his own son, confronts the artist. When Rembrandt admits his mistake and asks for forgiveness, Samuel is at last able to understand his own father. Through his friendship with Rembrandt, Samuel has found his future vocation — and the courage to accept his family heritage. Samuel’s struggle also reveals to Rembrandt how constrained he feels by artistic conventions. In the end, he follows his heart, and dares to transform a formal set into a dramatic tableau of a moment in history in “The Nightwatch.”
Rembrandt’s fame rests largely on his portraits and biblical works. Many myths surrounded Rembrandt, because so little was written about him at the time. Yet in the more than 90 self-portraits Rembrandt painted during his career, he created a complete autobiography in art. Indeed, no other great artist is known to have represented himself so frequently. Rembrandt was also a profoundly Christian artist who depicted more than 800 biblical scenes, portraying some of the most tender, human representations of Christ ever painted. He was multi-talented, often considered the greatest etcher in the history of art.
Rembrandt’s birth in Leiden, 25 miles south of Amsterdam on July 15, 1606, coincided closely with the birth of the Dutch nation. For generations, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg had been ruled by Catholic Spain. In 1609, Holland achieved freedom. In the early years of this independence, there was little in the way of artistic patronage from the Church or nobility. For the first time in history, the private collector became the artist’s chief source of support, establishing the precarious position that artists today still occupy. Fortunately for Rembrandt and his fellow artists, the general public developed an insatiable appetite for art and bought canvasses in large quantities. As a result, 17th century Holland saw an outpouring of artistic talent. Rembrandt alone produced more than 2300 works.
Though his parents were working class, Rembrandt’s family was fairly well off. From ages 7-14, Rembrandt was sent to the Latin school in Leiden. After two months in University, he turned to art. For six months, Rembrandt studied under Pieter Lastman, who had been to Italy to study the work of Caravaggio. One of Caravaggio’s great innovations was a powerful new use of chiaroscuro, the contrasting of light and shadow, enabling him to create highly dramatic, naturalistic effects. Rembrandt quickly seized the device and began using it with a skill no artist has ever surpassed.
In 1632, Rembrandt moved to Amsterdam, where as a young artist in search of fame and fortune, he concentrated on portraiture. In 1634, Rembrandt married Saskia van Uylenburgh, who not only provided a large dowry, but also introduced Rembrandt to Amsterdam high society. In 1639, Rembrandt purchased a handsome townhome in the Jewish quarter of Amsterdam. By 1640, at the age of 34, Rembrandt was wealthy, much admired and kept company with men of authority and power. He took delight in all that money could buy, including rich fabrics, costumes, and jewels. He was a passionate collector and amassed an impressive collection of paintings, prints, curiosities, and other objects of art.
In the last two decades of his life, Rembrandt was beset by several personal disasters; the loss of two infant children, his mother, and his favourite sister-in-law. In finally in 1642, his beloved wife died, shortly after the birth of their son, Titus. It was in this year that Rembrandt painted his masterpiece, “The Night Watch.” It was by far the most revolutionary painting Rembrandt had yet made, transforming the traditional Dutch portrait into a dazzling blaze of light, colour and motion. Rembrandt lifted his art into the realm of the soul. His personal tragedies only served to deepen his awareness of man’s suffering and human condition, which as he matured, he conveyed with overwhelming depth and tenderness.
Rembrandt lived extravagantly and this, together with a decline in commissions, forced him to sell his house and move to simple dwelling in 1658.
0 Items (Empty)
