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)
Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.
The light in a painting should be like the light of the sun.
Painting is a silent poetry.
The true measure of an artist is not how well he paints, but how deeply he feels.
I have never painted a portrait without feeling the soul of the person.
The shadows are as important as the light.
The artist must be a keen observer of life.
My aim is to express the most profound emotions.
The beauty of art lies in its ability to move the viewer.
I strive for truth and authenticity in my work.
The hand that paints must be guided by the heart.
Every face tells a story, and I try to capture it.
The artist's journey is a lifelong pursuit of mastery.
I find beauty in the ordinary.
The canvas is my stage, and the paints are my actors.
To truly see is to understand.
A painting is finished when the artist says it is finished.
Choose your model well, and then paint what you see, not what you know.
I am not a painter, I am a storyteller.
The more I paint, the more I realize I have to learn.
Contemporaries of Rembrandt van Rijn
Other Visual Artss born within 50 years of Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669).