It has taken me ten years to get enough nerve to buy a book like this of Rembrandt’s. When I was in art school a guy I shared an art studio with had this book and would not return it to the library so I could check it out for myself. So I was always over on his side looking at it.
When I look at a picture of a painting I want to see up close what the brushwork looks like and have it as reference when I don’t want to go a museum because of time or money. And when I’m at a museum I’m one of those annoying jerks who spends a LONG time looking at it to see how it’s made. So I bought this book for the detail plates, not the reading material. Sorry Historians.
When it comes to biography or history, I’ll be honest: I listen to a lot of books when I’m in the studio. I’d do that if I wanted to know more about the artist because I can’t think of anything more frustrating than learning about an artist while not being in the act of making art. That being said all these books—especially for this price—should come standard with audible/etc narration. Imagine perusing these pictures when streaming the words too. That would be amazing. Half the time the words are referencing a picture not on the same page anyway.
So, the close up plates are amazing—incredibly useful. And if you’re going to have any well made book it should be Rembrandt—if you like portraiture that is. HOWEVER…I did NOT pay the current asking price of $200. That’s insane.
I think there should be a charity made up for any serious artist (new or old) who wants this book but can’t afford it because s/he will never make what his/her investors will off his/her art. It being on some historian’s shelf or unappreciative show-off’s coffee table is a travesty. It needs to be available for impoverished artists as well—beautifiers of this world, to keep in their studios with regrettable-but-inspired oil paint smudges on the pages they reference the most.
But, if you buy this book and you make art, and you have any muse-worthy prowess at all at it, you won’t regret it.
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From the Publisher
The Dutch Golden Age spawned some of history’s greatest artists and artisans, but few can boast the genius of Rembrandt. Commemorating 350 years of unparalleled legacy, this XXL-sized monograph gathers the artist’s 330 paintings in exquisite reproductions and details that reveal how, in all their forms, Rembrandt’s painted works are built of intricacies—the totality of each subtle wrinkle, gaze, or figure.
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The Dutch Golden Age of painting spawned some of history’s greatest artists and artisans, but few can boast the genius and legacy of Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606–1669). Despite never leaving his native Netherlands, Rembrandt projected his oeuvre past the boundaries of his own experience, producing some of art’s most diverse and impactful works across portraiture, biblical, allegorical, landscape, and genre scenes. In all their forms, Rembrandt’s paintings are built of intricacies—the totality of each subtle facial wrinkle, gaze, or figure amounting to an emotional force that stands unmatched among his contemporaries and artistic progeny alike. |
Each work is imbued with feeling. Biblical scenes, like Bathsheba at her Bath, become vehicles for meditations on human longing, probing depths beyond that which is canonized in scripture or depicted in other representations. His portraits, be them of wealthy patrons or tradesmen, communicate the essence of an individual through fine demarcations, their faces bathed in an ethereal light against darkened earthtones. Perhaps most striking, his series of self-portraits is a triumph of the medium; beginning in his youth and spanning until a year prior to his death, Rembrandt’s self portraiture is an intimate glimpse into his lifelong process of self-reflection. |
On the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the artist’s death, this XXL monograph compiles all 330 of Rembrandt’s paintings in stunning reproductions. From Belshazzar’s Feast to The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, we discover Rembrandt’s painted oeuvre like never before. |
The full painted oeuvre in XXL resolution
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Reviews with images
A treasure
I own a few of the Taschen XXL and XL art books (Caravaggio, Michelangelo, and Bruegel). This book is a treasure. I’m a big Rembrandt fan and this is everything I could have asked for.First things first is the book is huge. Some of the images are printed in original size. The pictures are of super high quality and the text (from what I’ve read so far) is top notch and very informative.Yes it’s expensive but worth it (if it’s within your budget) If you like Rembrandt or art history. You couldn’t ask for better.
Top reviews from other countries
JK
Most massive and impressive book I own
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 16, 2020