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)
Every day is a new opportunity to create.
The greatest joy is in the act of creation.
I paint not with colors, but with feelings.
To see is to understand.
A painting is not made to be sniffed.
Choose the most natural and appropriate pose for the figure.
Practice what you know, and it will help you to make clear what you do not know.
The greatest and most important thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.
Do not seek to be beautiful, but to be true.
A work of art is not a thing, but a process.
Painting is nothing more than a way of expressing the invisible through the visible.
The eye is the true mirror of the soul.
Learn to see with your own eyes, not with the eyes of others.
The soul of a painting is the light.
The artist must be a master of light and shadow.
The true artist is not afraid to show his flaws.
Art is a language that speaks to the soul.
The greatest beauty lies in imperfection.
A painter should never be satisfied with his work.
The brush is an extension of the artist's hand and soul.
Contemporaries of Rembrandt van Rijn
Other Visual Artss born within 50 years of Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669).