Customer Reviews

Life and Times of Rembrandt

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This biography was written to exorcise an obsession faced by the author after the great painter's death. It was never intended to be published, and there are spots when it is painfully apparent that Van Loon was no writer by profession. However, the very fact that we have here a memoir written by the Rembrandt family physician, makes this a most intimate account of the unfortunate Rembrandt's waning days.

The obsession gripping Van Loon after Rembrandt died, a penniless nobody in society's eyes, was mainly that such a wealthy nation would so abuse one of its own greatest men as to let him starve while richly rewarding others of much less talent. The book is a fascinating account of Rembrandt's struggles with finances and with the narrow mores of the clergy of the day.

The circumstances under which we enter the artist's inner circle are somber, yet the book has many lighthearted examples of Rembrandt's eccentricities and his all-too-temporary successes. The author digresses occasionally into an account of his own life, rather than sticking strictly to Rembrandt's, however, these passages are charming and give a very realistic view of the political and economic aspects of those years in Dutch history.

The book ends rather ironically, with the author mentioning another area in which his country may have missed the boat -- he chronicles how the powers that be negotiated a trade with England of the Dutch possession Niew Ansterdam for some seemingly more profitable tract in Suriname. Of course, the English renamed their new posession "New York".

All in all, an unquestionably delightful account, not just for the art-lover, but the history buff as well.

Endearing re-telling of Rembrandt's life by a loving friend of his. This story is not an impartial and academic view of the artist but rather an intimate description of the everyday life of Rembrandt and those who surrounded him during his time. Some understood the genius and loved him, others considered him no less than a heretic follower of Satan and everybody else in between is mentioned in this wonderfull diary that had not been meant to ever be published.

who attempted (unsuccessfully) to discharge Rembrandt's bankruptcy. For me, this represents another aspect of the story of mankind.

That is a book not only talking about a great artist but also talking about the unique thought of a Dutchman who lived 500 years ago. It is a book of that time's folk history. You may get a vivid picture of Dutch life over the time tunnel. It also can help you understand the Dutchs at present time.