Collin Weir

The philosopher in meditation by Rembrandt should be preserved because it is symbolic of the light and dark of the human psyche, and expresses it in a way that is timeless. This will be important for future generations because the painting will provide an introspective look into the viewer, helping guide them through the rebirth of humanity.

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The painting I’m analyzing Philosopher in Meditation by Rembrandt and was approximately created in 1653. This work is of a man, woman, and another woman in the downstairs of a house. The man is sitting in the light coming in from the window, and the women are in the darkness, one on the stairs and one by the stove. It was during the late renaissance which saw increased exploration of European countries to new lands like the Americas and Africa. The times are also very religiously charged and the Catholic Church was undergoing reformation with people breaking off starting their new sects of Christianity.

Art work of this time is categorized by who or what the painter is depicting. Since this was during the late renaissance the artwork is very realistic and has definite form and structure. Most painters during this time were painting religious scenes from the bible or notable figures from the bible. There were also lots of paintings that were of nobles or scenes of the aristocratic lifestyles. These paintings were commissioned by those who had money, like nobility or church, and were the primary mean of income for these artists.

This piece is unique because it features a stark contrast between the light and dark of the house. There are two sources of light in this painting, the windows and the fire stove, yet the house is still filled with darkness. His use of lines in this painting is very distinct, as in they are not blurred like the detail on the walls and the space in between his distinct lines. Another very unique thing about this painting is that from first glance it seems that there is only 2 people in this painting, however if you find a copy of the image that has its contrast turned up, you will notice that there is a third person coming down the stairs holding a basket of some sort.

Rembrandt’s paintings are what allowed him to “achieved fame and fortune in his lifetime” (source 1), yet many of his works were left unfinished and are therefore considered undesirable. This painting though is considered complete since he signed it, and no one has concluded that it wasn’t. Also according to Tuttle, in his article he discusses how there was a group of researchers that concluded that this Rembrandt painting was actually done by one of his many apprentices, and all he did was sign his name one it (Tuttle).

The painting in modern times has a significant place in our appreciation of art. The painting is current being housed at the Louvre. Considering the Louvre is one of the world’s best art museums, having the painting there is a sure sign saying that our society still appreciates it and wants it preserved. (source 2). There are other places in which the painting has popped up in modern times. As I was watching TV right after choosing this painting as my topic, I noticed a Lowes commercial make reference to Rembrandt while talking about their paint department. Now it can’t be said that Rembrandt would go to Lowes to get his paint, but it does say that any work of Rembrandt is considered to be an integral part of human art and that people today still aspire to emulate his work. This reoccurring appearance of this painting in modern times shows in everlasting relevance to human culture.

This painting really stood out to me when comparing it to other Rembrandt works. One of the main reasons I choose this painting was the title, Philosophy and meditation are both very relevant to my life. However the mere contrast of light and dark in this painting spoke to me on a deeper level. The idea of the shadow of human psyche that Carl Jung discusses is something that came to mind while analyzing this painting. The man sitting by the window could be characterized as the conscious portion of our psyche, since it is what is present in the light, and what we can easily view. The woman by the stove is just a characterization of the little portion of the sub consciousness presenting itself in our life at certain times. The figure coming down the stairs however is the perfect example of the deepest parts of our unconscious mind, never being able to be seen by the viewer. The light and dark also is related to the Taoist Idea of the Yin yang, which is also a symbol of the polar opposites being present within each other. The stove in the painting is the light with in the dark and the philosopher at the desk is the dark within the light.

A painting that was produced with Rembrandts era is the portrait of Louis xiv by Hyacinthe Rigaud (Fiero figure 21.2). This painting is the very typical of the aristocratic influence on certain art being produced since it is just a portrait of a king in his palace. This style differs from the more intelligent and soulful work of Rembrandts philosopher in meditation. Riguad’s painting has very distinct characteristics in it, like the fleur-de-lis, which makes it possible to recognize that the painting is French. Rembrandts painting however has no distinct characteristics in it, making it impossible to recognize the origin of the painting or the artist. Riguad’s painting is also a flaunt of royal wealth and power while Rembrandts is a piece looking for a deeper truth about the human experience.

This work is a Rembrandt, which makes it very sought after since all of his works have their own style that differs from many of the other artists of the era. But it also is about the balance of light and dark in a symbolic way and this is something future generations will have to learn to come to terms with. The painting offers a lot of interpretation about the mood to the viewer and allows them to look inside to create their own understanding of it. Future generations will also benefit from learning that creating art isn’t about painting what is front of you, unless you really trying to capture a unique moment. All in all this painting will provide a lot of intellectual “food” for future generations and will help guide them in answering many of life’s questions.

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Potter, Polyxeni. "Footnotes." <em>National Center for Biotechnology Information</em>. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 25 Aug. 0005. Web. 10 Oct. 2012. &lt;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3291467/&gt;.

This source was a general blurb about Rembrandts life and work ethic. It helped in giving me a general idea about Rembrandts life and some of the struggles and opinions others during his time had of him.

"Louvre Museum Official Website." <em>Louvre Museum Official Website</em>. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Oct. 2012. &lt;http://www.louvre.fr/en&gt;.

This source is just the museum in which the painting is currently being housed in. Since one of my sources said that this painting should no longer be attributed to Rembrandt, the museum still officially states that it is.

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Tuttle, A. (1991, Oct 03). The gallery: Rembrandt and his shrinking corpus.<em> </em><em>Wall Street Journal</em>. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/398253976?accountid=7013; <a href="http://partneraccess.oclc.org/wcpa/servlet/Search?wcapi=1&amp;wcpartner=proquesta&amp;wcautho=http://firstsearch.oclc.org/dbname=WorldCat;done=referer;FSIP&amp;wcissn=00999660&amp;wcdoctype=ser">http://partneraccess.oclc.org/wcpa/servlet/Search?wcapi=1&amp;wcpartner=proquesta&amp;wcautho=http://firstsearch.oclc.org/dbname=WorldCat;done=referer;FSIP&amp;wcissn=00999660&amp;wcdoctype=ser</a>

This source discussed how many of the works attributed to Rembrandt are now being considered as plagiarized and how they were actually the work of his student. I got a better of idea of how this piece is thought of today.

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