On May 7, the AGO’s Marvin Gelber Print & Drawing Study Centre will host Rembrandt (1606-1669): Printed Presence. From 1 pm to 6 pm, the Print & Drawing Study Centre will display seven works on paper by Rembrandt, including an original drawing, and from 6 pm to 8 pm, an additional 16 etchings, pulled out of the vaults to complement the AGO’s Painted Presence exhibition. This will be a rare opportunity to view and appreciate the incredible range of Rembrandt’s printed work in the AGO Collection. A prolific draughtsman, painter and printmaker, Rembrandt is often regarded as one of the greatest Dutch painters of the 1600s. Seldom seen together, these works will focus on the humanity and compassion which shine through his Biblical and figurative work, as well as his constant experimentation with technique, ink, composition and atmospheric effect.

Rembrandt van Rijn. A Quack, c. 1637. Pen and brown ink on laid paper, Overall: 10.2 x 8.6 cm. Art Gallery of Ontario. Gift from the Estate of R. Fraser Elliott, 2005. Photo © AGO. 2005/246

Amsterdam in the 17th century was the wealthiest city in Europe, at the heart of a new colonial, global economy. Rembrandt made portraits of many of its most affluent members like Portrait of a Woman with a Lap Dog (c. 1665), currently on view in Painted Presence: Rembrandt and His Peers. However, in his drawings, he focused on ordinary people – family members, neighbours and strangers on the street, including the homeless and crippled. His quick drawing style captured the unique characters of face and posture, using a few strokes to illustrate a movement, action, emotion or personality quirk. These figures, as well as his own self-portrait, would show up repeatedly in his Biblical scenes.

Rembrandt van Rijn. The Hundred Guilder Print, c. 1648. Etching, drypoint and burin on parchment [?], Overall: 27.8 x 38.8 cm. Art Gallery of Ontario. Gift of Esther and Sam Sarick, 2006. Photo © AGO. 2006/274

The Hundred Guilder Print (1648) —one of Rembrandt’s most famous etchings—illustrates several distinct moments from the Gospel of Matthew in one composition: Christ preaches to his followers, disputes with the Pharisees, heals the sick, and blesses the children. Details like the small dog at lower left, the babe-in-arms, the invalid on a rolling cart, are clearly drawn from life. Fun fact: the etching is named after the high price it supposedly received in Rembrandt’s time: 100 Guilders (roughly $1500 in today’s money).  

Rembrandt van Rijn. St. Jerome in a Dark Chamber, 1642. Etching and drypoint on laid paper, Image: 15 x 17.3 cm. Art Gallery of Ontario. Gift of Sir Edmund Walker Estate, 1926. Photo © AGO. 1477

In St. Jerome in a Dark Chamber (1642), Rembrandt pushes drypoint and etching to their limits to create a deeply shadowed space, with an old man (St. Jerome) emerging from the darkness, illuminated only by the window. The drama, deep shadows and theme parallel his small painting of roughly the same size, A Scholar by Candlelight (1628–1629), on view in Painted Presence: Rembrandt and His Peers at the AGO on Level 1 in the Reuben Wells Leonard Rotunda.

Co-curated by Adam Harris Levine, AGO Associate Curator of European Art and Suzanne van de Meerendonk, Bader Curator of European Art, Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Queen’s University, Painted Presence showcases a remarkable assembly of 17th-century Dutch paintings with seven attributed to Rembrandt – the most ever seen together in Toronto. On the same floor, visitors can find two Rembrandt etchings of his mother (in gallery 124 as part of a small installation depicting artists’ mothers). Here, he transfers his quick drawing technique to the etched line, tenderly delineating his mother’s wrinkles and creating a face resonating with strength and character.

See Rembrandt: Printed Presence as part of Open Door Wednesdays at the AGO’s Marvin Gelber Print & Drawing Study Centre on May 7 from 1 pm. to 8 pm. Open Door occurs every first Wednesday of the month, except July and August, and gives a behind-the-scenes look at the AGO’s world-class Print and Drawing Study Centre and works from its vaults. For more information, visit https://ago.ca/events/open-door-wednesdays.