Essay about Rembrandt and Vermeer

Rembrandt and Vermeer were both incredible and influential painters. Although they had different styles of art and painted in different ways, they both had unique ways of painting that stirred emotion in the viewer and still impacts art today. 

Vermeer was a painter that used light to draw people into his art. He created complex shadows, light, and highlights that take a person’s breath away. He is an admirable artist to this day. Vermeer painted wet on wet and painted with incredibly thin layers. He did this so his paintings had an incredible diffused and soft focus. His pieces have a great gentleness about them due to this. Another technique Vermeer used was highlighting in contrasting colors. He did this so the main color he was focusing on would stand out more and look bolder against the highlights. This way of highlighting demonstrates Vermeer’s mastery of color theory and ability to make even the tiniest of details matter. Vermeer also would create texture in his paintings with things like sand. This gave him the ability to paint textures such as brick, rooftops, and water without having to create shadows and highlights by hand. He would go back through and add his own brighter highlights but didn’t have to detail every part. This meant his pieces were far more detailed and refined, as he could obtain a consistent result and texture without spending hours meticulously painting every brick or shingle in a piece. Vermeer also had a way of using perspective to draw the viewer to the main focus of his work. He created a subtle line of sight in many of his pieces, helping the viewer focus on the central subject of the piece. Vermeer was able to use a calculated and precise style in his art that made the piece very deliberate, yet he mastered a way to make his paintings look simple and gentle. His ways of using color, light, texture, and perspective were not glaring; instead, they were meant to come together into a bigger picture. No part of his work takes away from another part, even with bolder details. Things such as the gold frame in his piece, Woman Holding A Balance, may seem like they would distract from the rest of it. Instead, the gold on the right of the piece helps to balance the golden light on the left of the piece that is coming through the curtain. Details such as this show Vermeer’s way of creating calculated, detailed, yet simple and peaceful art. 

Rembrandt was an artist that was known for painting the nobles of his time. He was able to capture the balance of humble and wealth that his commissioners were searching for. Although they would commission elaborate pieces to be painted of them in their finest clothes and jewelry, the wealthy were also aware of the fact that they were simple children of God and their earthly possessions didn’t matter in the end. Rembrandt was able to find this balance. He was commissioned countless times by the wealthy and found success in doing so. This isn’t the main reason he is remembered though. Rembrandt is remembered for his later years, where people began to think he was deranged and bold for the work he was doing. He wasn’t respected in the community the same way he used to be, and commissions were few and far between. His final substantial commission, though, was a piece that was meant to hang in the town hall. It was a piece dedicated to those who had fought and served in the war. At this point in time, most similar artists who received this commission would have painted the men in stagnant positions. Not Rembrandt though, as he decided to add much more movement and power to the piece. Although we may view it as a masterpiece today, it was not well received at the time. It isn’t painting as if everything is perfect and instead has a roughness and rowdiness that is found in war. Rembrandt was trying to share a message, tell a story, and he failed according to the people of his time. Rembrandt used the texture of the oil paint to add to his story, as opposed to hiding it away as so many other artists had done. He was unique and a powerful artist. 

Rembrandt and Vermeer were both incredible artists that had a unique approach to their work. One of the major similarities between the two is their use of 3D texture. Although approached in different ways, they both were able to incorporate a 3D nature in their work. This creates a piece that pulls the viewer in even more and gives the pieces unique detail that wouldn’t exist otherwise. Both artists were also masters at using shadows and perspective to their advantage. Instead of stagnant pieces that appeared to be 2D, they took advantage of foreshortening, shading, and perspective. This creates a more realistic scene that tells a story. Along the lines of storytelling as well, they both used movement in their pieces. Unlike the others of this time, they created a storyline and gave the viewer the ability to imagine what would happen next. 

On the other hand, Rembrandt and Vermeer were incredibly different artists. Above all, they told different types of stories in their art. Rembrandt painted the rich and wealthy, showing off the details of their extravagant outfits and fine jewelry. Vermeer painting everyday people he came across that were doing normal daily tasks. Tasks such as working, cooking, looking at small and mundane objects, or interacting with others. Rembrandt also had a strong roughness in his paintings, especially in Night Watch. Vermeer created very soft, out-of-focus, gentle art. His paintings have a certain quietness about them that strongly contrasts with Rembrandt’s work. Their art may have used very similar approaches, but we find that by looking at them we are told two very different types of stories. 

These artists were powerful figures of their time, and have continued to impact the art world as we know it today. They introduced new and unique ideas that are still admired. Although they may have also been different in many ways, they are both among some of the greatest artists in history.