Rembrandt: Complete Etchings

Landscapes

In the seventeenth century the Dutch landscape was one of the most popular subjects for prints. Rembrandt took the genre to  unrivalled heights. The locations of almost all his landscapes can be identified in the immediate vicinity of Amsterdam.  Rembrandt's landscape etchings were created in the studio on the basis of drawings that he made on his walks in the countryside  around Amsterdam. On occasion he may even have worked directly on to the copper plate on the spot. Six's Bridge and  Clump of Trees with a Vista are examples of this. The rapid, spontaneous lines give these prints the appearance of having been
created in the open air. Rembrandt's early landscape prints are entirely etched. The foreground of these etchings is always  carefully worked out and placed against a lightly indicated horizon.

In his later landscapes, Rembrandt combines etching with the lise of the drypoint and the burin. He also adds imaginary elements  like mountains and exotic buildings to the typical Dutch landscape. The Three Trees is Rembrandt's best known landscape  print. The trees probably stood on the Diemerzeerdijk. The skyline of Amsterdam can be seen in the background. This is the  only landscape print in which Rembrandt used strong contrasts between light and shade. The darker areas have been made  more intense with drypoint and burin.

self portraits and family members
genre scenes
landscapes
single figures and portraits
biblical and religious themes