Another masterpiece, which I have had the privilege to examine closely in the Rijkmuseum, Amsterdam. A brief historic review is available on Wikipedia and Britannica also offers a great and free article on the artist and this painting. A must read.
Any review and interpretation would inevitably be trimmed, because so is the piece in its current condition. Still, we can discuss what is at hand as if it were a complete work of art. The most salient compositional feature of this group portrait is the clustering: in what appears to be Rembrandt’s trademark device, the crowd is divided into several groups, each with its own distinct dynamic. Additionally, the groups relate to each other to create a complex and truly grand composition. Each smaller congregation may be viewed as a miniature separate painting that conceptually echoes the overall design, a local person representing a group and the local central figure the lavishly illumined captain, around whom the groups gather. Such symmetry makes particular sense in the militant context of the scene, reflecting the notion of the chain of command.
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This painting is difficult to approach for its sheer complexity: both a group portrait and a theatrical scene cohere into a pictorial narrative of visual, scientific and historic significance. Wikipedia offers engaging insight on this painting, as well as on Dr. Tulp, a very well known persona of the time. In fact, probably every person on this piece could be traced historically, a circumstance that contributes immediacy and panache to the canvas. It also redefines the painting as a document, adding a somewhat banal value of the bureaucratic kind, though today we examine even that detail through the screen of aesthetic and historic concern. If we ignore all of the information that links this piece with contemporary reality, the deep symbolism arising from the depicted close encounter with death will surface as the primary theme, which is the primary concern of this review.
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The woman’s face becomes an emotive center point: the slightly risen brow discloses surprise, the faint blush on her cheek reveals a measure of pleasure from being noticed by the king, the downcast eyes express humility and inevitable doom. When combined, these emotions synthesize into a sense of fate, along with recognition and acceptance of it. Bathsheba’s absent-minded gaze points towards the slave as if in an envy of the servant’s plain and uncomplicated position — the opposite of the mistress’. The rest of lady’s body enacts mentioned feelings. Her left hand (which seems disproportionately large) grabs the blanket in an unsure motion, which both repels and summons the future. The other hand, holding the letter, rests weak-willed on the right thigh. Rembrandt often used written messages as plot propelling tools, and this painting exemplifies how the letter triggers the conflict mirrored on Bathsheba’s face.
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Lets take a look at another Hebrew scene, this time from the old testament. Though another warm family event, also with strong religious overtones, this piece manifests a departure from the social cohesion demonstrated in “The Jewish Bride” (where I should have mentioned the ring fingers crossing). Namely, here the woman is being excluded from the ritual; those same religious overtones that served to unify in the marriage, divide in the blessing. The mother stands aloof and, though evidently touched and worried, isn’t allowed into the center of events. I don’t think that Rembrandt intended to pass social critique, he merely illustrated the biblical lines in the way he envisioned them — but that makes the separation only the more obvious, and almost frustrating: personally, it derails me, as a modern beholder, from the main theme, and it imposes itself as a competing one. Even more frustrating is the fact that nothing has really changed in ultra-orthodox Jewish circles since Jacob, or even since Rembrandt.
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Sometimes I feel lost for words when starting writing about another artist for this site. It feels like I have used up all of the good epithets that describe emotion, intimacy and humanism. I am afraid that I won’t be able to express myself accurately on the subject of human sentiment, because I tried to do my best (and even better, which is not good) when this triad wasn’t the main theme as it is with Rembrandt — what would I be left with? So I place some hope in this small complaint, and will try to scrub the words of their previous given meaning and re-energize them with a fresh one. One must, because if Rembrandt could revivify these concepts with paint, whoever writes on Rembrandt should be able to follow the linguistic suit. The most suitable description for feelings displayed in this piece is how real and immediate they are: they don’t represent any religious notions or any distant mythical passions; they belong to the people, who are caught in the moment of experiencing them. The experience itself becomes the true, sought for goal and value.
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