A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings.Vol.5

small-figured history paintings. These aspects were referred to as 'the basis of the noble art of painting' in Rembrandt's days. Two seventeenth century painter/theoreticians discussed these principles systematically in two books which up till now have only sporadically been consulted in the context of 17th century studio practice. Karel van Mander wrote his Grond der edel vry schilder-const [Basis of the Art of Painting] in 1604 and Samuel van Hoogstraten produced his Inleyding tot de hooge schoole der schilderkonst [Academy of Painting] in 1678. Van Hoogstraten was a pupil of Rembrandt between 1642 and '48. Comparing the two books and considering them in relation to Rembrandt's oeuvre, gradually reveals his original views on painting and how these had developed during his career. Thus, the authors of this new Volume of A Corpus have gained an unexpected and profound insight into Rembrandt's ideas and approach to his art. The 'basic aspects' of painting included the following topics: function and methods of drawing; human proportions; various positions, poses and gestures of figures; ways of arranging a scene's protagonists in a composition; facial expressions of a variety of emotions; light, shadows and reflected light; landscape and animals; draperies and articles of clothing; methods of painting, and various characteristics and uses of colours. The way these 'basic aspects' were selected and dealt with presumed that the more practical side to the art of painting would be learned by the apprentice in the daily routine of his master's studio. With the development of art history in the nineteenth century the 'basic aspects' of the art of painting listed above acquired the vague label of 'style'. However, the seventeenth century categorization of the 'basic aspects' provides a much more acute means of probing the views and criteria for judging a painting by Rembrandt and his contemporaries than theconcept of 'style'. Volume V in the series A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings b