Rembrandt van Rijn
Greatest Dutch painter, master of light and shadow
Most quoted
"Of course you will say that I ought to be practical and ought to try and paint the way they want me to paint. Well, I will tell you a secret. I have tried and tried very hard, but I can’t do it. I just can’t do it! And that is why I am just a little crazy."
— from Attributed saying
"I have three regrets in my life: I regret that I have not learned to play the violin, I regret that I have not learned to speak French, and I regret that I have not taken more time to enjoy life."
— from Attributed saying
"The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web."
— from Attributed saying (Picasso)
All quotes by Rembrandt van Rijn (319)
If you want to understand my art, look at my life.
I am not interested in painting pretty pictures. I am interested in painting truth.
The greatest challenge for a painter is to capture the fleeting moment.
My art is my confession. It is all I have to give.
They say I am a difficult man. Perhaps because I demand much from myself, and from others.
A good painting should speak for itself. If it needs words, it has failed.
I do not seek fame, but understanding.
The world is full of colors, but only a few can see them.
My greatest teacher has been my own mistakes.
To paint a portrait is to capture a soul, not just a face.
I do not paint what is, but what could be.
The beauty of art lies in its ability to transcend time.
My brush is my voice, and my canvas is my stage.
They say I am a rebel. Perhaps because I refuse to be confined by convention.
A painting is not a thing, it is a living being.
Choose your friends carefully. You are who they are.
The soul of a man is a mirror of the world.
True art is that in which the hand, the head, and the heart of man go together.
I am a painter, not a philosopher. But I paint what I see, and what I see is life.
The greatest beauty is in the human face.
Contemporaries of Rembrandt van Rijn
Other Visual Artss born within 50 years of Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669).