A unique peek at Rembrandt etchings
By Myra Sidharta
JAKARTA (JP): When news went round about an exhibition of original Rembrandt etchings at the Dutch cultural center, Erasmus Huis, eyebrows were raised and questions asked.
Were these works -- made 300 years ago when the Dutch East India Company ruled here -- still relevant to today's independent Indonesia? Would the public, so used to colorful abstract paintings, be able to appreciate these colorless but detailed images?
Attendance at the exhibition's opening on Nov. 4 dispelled all doubts. More than 200 people -- young and old, from all walks of life -- came to listen to the introduction of J. Ter Molen, the vice director of Museum Boymans van Beuningen, who had traveled to Indonesia with his museum's collection.
The 32 framed etchings will be on display until Dec. 6.
They represent the Dutch artist's finest works in this genre and are grouped in different categories; portraits (including self-portraits), landscapes, biblical and historical scenes, studies and allegorical compositions.
His talents are displayed here through the intricate technique of etching, whereby a wax-coated copper plate is drawn on with a sharp etching needle.
Application of acid onto the plate causes the image to form, which can then be used to make prints on paper. Rembrandt, who lived from 1606 to 1669, seemed to like this technique and made as many as 350 different prints during his lifetime.
Etchings were only part of his artistic expressions. Most well-known are his paintings, more voluminous in size and impressive. His Nightwatch is probably the best known of all and shows most his fascination with chiaroscuro, the light and darkness effect so often found in the paintings of that time.
He could obtain this effect with his etchings because of the exceptional quality of his technique, shown in the representation of the Bible described in The Gospel of Saint Matthew and of Dr. Faust in His Study. He is said to have experimented endlessly with various kinds of paper and ink, adding scratches to his finished etchings to obtain the right effect and the perfection he sought.
Rembrandt was born and raised in Leiden. He later moved to the business center of Amsterdam where most of the social activities were also found. He prospered because the Netherlands was entering the Golden Age of its business dealings in the Americas, Asia and its colonial territories.
His paintings, drawings and etchings show that he had many prominent figures among his clients who were eager to have their likenesses done.
But Rembrandt also drew and etched beggars in the streets, the peasants in the fields and people disfigured by poverty and a hard life.
His landscapes apparently represent moments of reflection and withdrawal into nature, showing a peaceful quietness after the endless searching for form and detail in his drawings of human figures.
Every work he created reflects most of all his keen observation, his emotions and above all his genius in expressing himself through his work.
Rembrandt's paintings, drawings and etchings can be found all over the world in major art galleries and museums. The Erasmus Huis has allocated a computer for keen cybernetters to roam and enjoy Rembrandt's works and those of other artists in cyberspace.