Rembrandt. The Painter Thinking

Ernst van de Wetering (1938) was professor of art history. He became a team-member of the Rembrandt Research Project in 1968 and its chairman in 1993. Originally trained as a painter and art-historian, he worked from 1969-1987 in the Amsterdam based Central Research Laboratory of Objects of Art and Science. From 1987-2002 he taught at the University of Amsterdam. In 2003/2004 he was Slade Professor at the University of Oxford. He was considered one of the world's foremost specialists on Rembrandt and his work. In 1997, he published the widely acclaimed monograph Rembrandt: The Painter at Work (2nd ed. 2008). 2014 saw the publication of his monumental oeuvre catalogue Rembrandt's Paintings Revisited: A Complete Survey; the concluding volume of A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings.

"As is always true of Van de Wetering’s writings, his analyses are based on close, repeated looking at Rembrandt’s painting, and looking with the eye of a talented portrait painter. His ability to convey in words what he is convinced Rembrandt was working toward in paint carries conviction. Best of all, his writing forces one back to examine Rembrandt’s paintings, or at least the works in reproduction." - Catherine B. Scallen, Case Western Reserve University, Renaissance Quarterly Vol. LXX, No. 4 "Our overall view of Rembrandt is now on a new plateau and it is appropriate to salute Ernst van de Wetering for his remarkable achievement." -- Burlington Magazine "This lavishly illustrated book is a rare insight into Rembrandt work process and painting theory. A definitive must-have for all serious artists!" -- The Art of Watercolour "Rembrandt: The Painter Thinking is a product of a lifetime of study of Rembrandt, full of wise insights and with a freshness of approach that has long characterised Van de Wetering's work on the artist." -- The Art Newspaper Review 5 stars -- NRC Handelsblad "This is the first time that such an elaborate monography is dedicated to the thinking process of the master. A unique approach!" -- Christus Rex Boekbesprekingen "Een mooi uitgevoerd en fraai geïllustreerd boek" -- NBD Biblion "After the justly praised study of the artist’s practice, Rembrandt: The Painter at Work, Ernst van de Wetering has now produced a no less admirable companion volume devoted to the artist’s theory. Even if he had not played a major part in redefining Rembrandt’s painted oeuvre in the six volumes of the Corpus of Rembrandt’s Paintings, these two complementary books alone would establish his crucial role in understanding Rembrandt’s art." -- Burlington Magazine, february 2017

• Preface PART I Profession: painter PART II Towards a reconstruction of Rembrandt's art theory PART III Rembrandt as a searching artist Notes References Appendix Index