Rembrandt. All drawings and etchings
Rembrandt. All drawings and etchings is by art historians Peter Schatborn and Erik Behind thing authored and published by Pocket published works of drawings and etchings by the Dutch painter and printmaker Rembrandt van Rijn . The book was published on the 350th anniversary of Rembrandt's death in 2019, simultaneously in German, English, Dutch and French, and in 2020 in Spanish. In another volume from the publisher, Rembrandt. All paintings by Volker Manuth , Marieke de Winkel and Rudie van Leeuwen, Rembrandt's paintings are presented in a similar presentation. A smaller volume, Rembrandt , published in the same year and written by Manuth and de Winkel . The self-portraits represent once again this excerpt from his complete works.
background
drawings
In comparison to Rembrandt's paintings and etchings, his drawings have rarely been systematically combined into catalog raisonnés. Carel Vosmaer made his first attempts , who came up with 320 drawings in 1869 and around 700 drawings in 1877. Also Eugène Dutuit described in 1885 in his multivolume Rembrandt plant about 700 sheets in 26 collections. The hand drawings of Rembrandt were published in 1906 by Cornelis Hofstede de Groot with information on 1613 drawings. The scope of the recognized complete works was changed significantly in the following decades. The Austrian art historian Otto Benesch published The Drawings of Rembrandt in six volumes from 1954 to 1957 . A Critical and Chronological Catalog and described 1467 handwritten sheets, of which only 856 were already cataloged by Hofstede de Groot. A large part of Hofstede de Groot's corpus was discarded, but hundreds of new drawings were also included. An expanded second edition, also in six volumes, was published in 1973 by Benesch's widow under the title The Drawings of Rembrandt. Complete Edition published in Six Volumes . In addition, a number of exhibition catalogs and inventory catalogs of individual collections appeared in the 20th century, each dealing only with a small section of the graphic work.
Etchings
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Medea, or The Wedding of Jason and Glauke , 1648, etching, approx. 240 × 177 mm, Bartsch 112, states 1 (left) and 5 (right)
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Rembrandt's etchings were already coveted by his contemporaries, and collectors distinguished between the various states even then. The first catalog raisonné of Rembrandt's etchings was compiled by the Parisian art dealer Edme-François Gersaint and published posthumously in 1751 as Catalog raisonné de toutes les piėces qui forment l'oeuvre de Rembrandt . Gersaint's Catalog raisonné was the first catalog raisonné dedicated to a single graphic artist and was already distinguished by detailed discussions of the attribution of individual works to Rembrandt or one of his students. 1797, the first edition of the of appeared Adam Bartsch compiled Catalog raisonné de toutes les Estampes qui forment L'Oeuvre de Rembrandt, et ceux de ses principaux Imitateurs . The numbering introduced by Bartsch is still used today. This was followed in 1890 by the complete collection of Rembrandt's copper engravings by Dmitri A. Rowinski , 1912 A catalog of Rembrandt's etchings. Chronologically arranged and completely illustrated by Arthur M. Hind and 1957 Rembrandt's etchings in two volumes by Ludwig Münz .
In 1969 the two Rembrandt volumes edited by Christopher White and Karel Boon appeared in Hollstein's Dutch & Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts approx. 1450-1700, which was published in 72 volumes from 1949 to 2010 . This catalog raisonné was considered the standard work for almost half a century. White and Boon were the first to systematically record the various conditions and the special substrates used, such as Japanese paper and vellum . However, with a view to Rembrandt's 300th birthday, the volumes were compiled in a hurry that can be seen in the work. Only the minority of the cataloged etchings are shown. The text and the table book cost 480 euros each.
The seven volumes dedicated to Rembrandt were published in 2013 as part of the successor New Hollstein Dutch & Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts 1450–1700 , which has so far comprised more than 100 volumes. Compared to the earlier catalogs of Rembrandt's etchings, numerous newly discovered conditions have been included and dates have been changed due to new findings. The total of more than 2200 pages are divided into two volumes of text, three volumes with illustrations of all cataloged etchings in all conditions and two volumes with illustrations of copies. The work, written by Erik Hinterding and Jaco Rutgers, is aimed at a professional audience with a price of 465 euros for each volume, like the 1969 catalog. In this circle, the numbering of the New Hollstein has replaced the Bartsch numbers today.
description
Rembrandt. All drawings and etchings contain color illustrations of 708 drawings and reproductions of 314 etchings by Rembrandt. This is the first time that all works on paper by Rembrandt - recognized as such by the authors - are presented in one volume. Apart from the brief captions, there are no descriptions of the individual works. The catalog raisonné comprises 756 pages in the format of 29 × 39.5 cm and weighs almost seven kilograms. The dust jacket shows a detail of Rembrandt's drawing Self-Portrait with Disheveled Hair .
Although the two volumes with the paintings and with the drawings and etchings are sold separately, they still form a unit. This can be seen, for example, in the extensive omission of background information on Rembrandt's biography in the volume with the works on paper. This information takes up more than half of the first volume. In fact, the volume with the drawings and etchings does not even contain thirty pages of running text, so despite the prominent authors, it is mainly designed as an illustrated book. Many of Rembrandt's paintings are related in some way to his drawings or etchings, and these in turn are related to one another. Accordingly, there are numerous cross-references such as G31 , Z207 or R160 . These references can only be used if the reader has access to the other volume, as the authors of all three catalogs use their own numbering.
Catalog of drawings
The first part deals with Rembrandt's drawings and was edited by Peter Schatborn , the former head of the Rijksprentenkabinet at the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam . Along with Martin Royalton-Kisch, Schatborn is one of the most important connoisseurs of Rembrandt's drawings. The catalog begins with a brief introduction to Rembrandt as a draftsman , in which Rembrandt's graphic work is outlined on four pages in accordance with the state of research. The catalog is divided into thematic chapters, which does not really help the reader with chapters of up to 140 pages. The drawings are arranged chronologically within the chapters, but the division into subject areas prevents readers from being able to at least roughly date a work based on its catalog number.
Each chapter begins with a brief introduction of two pages. This is followed by the color images of the drawings, which are always printed in the correct position and accompanied by a few lines of caption according to the example shown here. A major deficiency in the volume of paintings is avoided; with a few exceptions, the drawings are not printed over the gutter and are therefore completely visible. However, only the paintings and the etchings in this volume are printed on glossy paper. The drawings, on the other hand, are printed on high-quality paper with a structured surface, which often disturbs the image impression. In addition, the captions and images on the last or following two pages shine through. But this is only visible in the vicinity of the sufficiently covering images in the form of disturbing shadows.
- Biblical, mythological and historical accounts - 22
- Figure studies and genre scenes - 140
- Animal pieces - 282
- Landscapes - 302
- Portraits and Self-Portraits - 400
- Copies after works by other artists - 432
Catalog of Etchings
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R69a Christ is shown to the people: reclining plate , 1655. Drypoint with plate clay on Japanese paper, 383 × 455 mm. Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, Inv. RP-P-1975-1 (NH. 290 III)
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R69b Christ is shown to the people: plate lying down , 1655. Drypoint with plate clay on Japanese paper, 358 × 455 mm; signed: Rembrandt f 1655 . Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, Inv. RP-P-OB-611 (NH. 290 VII)
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The catalog of the etchings begins on page 466 and is therefore somewhat smaller than the catalog of drawings. It was prepared by Erik Hinterding , one of the two authors of the seven Rembrandt volumes of New Hollstein published in 2013 and one of the outstanding experts on Rembrandt's graphic work. The introduction to Rembrandt as an eraser is five pages long. This catalog is also divided into thematic chapters, which are much smaller in scope. However, the classification is arbitrary, and for many sheets the reason for the assignment is not obvious. Within the chapters, the drawings are not arranged chronologically, for example, but the first chapter is further subdivided into the Old Testament, New Testament, individual religious figures and mythology.
The introduction of a chapter is only one page long. This is followed by the illustrations of the etchings, which are always printed in the correct position. The smooth paper avoids disturbing the picture impression and even the finest details of the etchings are accessible. However, the captions and images shine through a little here as well. Most of Rembrandt's etchings have come down to us in several states, which can differ considerably from one another. With a few exceptions, the catalog only shows one state of each etching. If you want to deal with the states of the entire work in more detail, you have to fall back on the New Hollstein Dutch , which shows all states, but also costs more than twenty times as much.
- Biblical and Mythological Representations - 476
- File - 556
- Genre representations - 572
- Landscapes - 612
- Self-Portraits - 636
- Portraits - 660
- Tronies - 686
- Sketch sheets - 722
- Works handed down from another source - 732
Apparatus with concordances and registers
At the end of the volume, the catalog numbers of the drawings are compared on three pages with the numbers of the first edition of the Benesch catalog from 1954 to 1957. The concordance of the etchings assigns the catalog numbers to the numbering in the New Hollstein from 2013 and in the Bartsch catalog from 1797. This is followed by a list of Rembrandt's paintings that were mentioned in the present volume, and a bibliography that is less than two pages long compared to the extensive bibliography of the painting volume. As with the volume of paintings, the register is limited to the German work titles assigned by the authors or translators. Since the catalogs do not contain a concordance sorted according to the numbers of other work directories, the reader hardly receives any support in their search for a specific work. It also gets annoying when a work like Rembrandt's only etched still life, his marble cone snail , is once again referred to as the Conus Marmoreus shell . The fact that it is not a shell but a snail has been discussed often enough in the literature.
reception
During that time, Alexander Cammann discussed both catalogs of works by Taschen Verlag together: “Two monumental volumes present all drawings and etchings as well as all paintings as work catalogs in excellent reproduction quality; their weight tests the resilience of shelf and coffee table ”.
The English-language edition was rated as one of the best art books of summer 2019 by art critic Jackie Wullschläger in the Financial Times . The visual joys of an entire artist's life are gathered in this exceptionally beautifully furnished first color picture book of Rembrandt's complete graphic works - more than a thousand works, each a demonstration of superior virtuosity by hand and eye.
The British painter and graphic artist David Hockney praised Taschen Verlag, including the volume with the paintings and the less extensive work on the self-portraits: "With these books you brought Rembrandt into the 21st century" (English: "With these books, you have brought Rembrandt into the 21st century ”).
Art critic Martin Gayford also referred to Hockney's enthusiasm in the British weekly newspaper The Spectator . In the case of the two volumes, the focus is not on the text, but on the high quality reproductions. In the case of the drawings, which were often made on scraps of paper, many of the illustrations were far larger than the originals. The enthusiastic David Hockney is right: Rembrandt's works on paper are shown here like never before.
expenditure
- Peter Schatborn , Erik Hinterding : Rembrandt. All drawings and etchings . Ed .: Petra Lamers-Schütze. Taschen Verlag, Cologne 2019, ISBN 978-3-8365-7542-3 (756 pages, hardcover with fold-out page, 29 × 39.5 cm, 6.80 kg).
- Rembrandt. The Complete Drawings and Etchings . Taschen, Cologne 2019, ISBN 978-3-8365-7544-7 (English, 756 pages).
- Rembrandt. All tekeningen en etsen . Taschen, Keulen 2019, ISBN 978-3-8365-7543-0 (Dutch, 756 pages).
- Rembrandt. Tous les dessins et toutes les eaux-fortes . Taschen, Cologne, Paris 2019, ISBN 978-3-8365-7545-4 (French, 756 pages).
- Rembrandt. Todos los dibujos y grabados . Taschen, Colonia 2020, ISBN 978-3-8365-7879-0 (Spanish, 756 pages).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Cornelis Hofstede de Groot : The hand drawings of Rembrandt . De Erven F. Bohn, Haarlem 1906 ( digitized version ).
- ^ Bibliography - The Drawings of Rembrandt. In: rembrandtcatalogue.net. Martin Royalton-Kisch, accessed April 2, 2020 .
- ↑ a b c Nadine Orenstein: Rembrandt. The New Hollstein Dutch & Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts 1450-1700 . Review. In: The Burlington Magazine . tape CLVI , 2014, p. 675–676 (English, hollstein.com [PDF; 188 kB ]).
- ↑ a b Rembrandt filigree. Taschen Verlag, accessed on April 2, 2020 .
- ↑ Alexander Cammann : Heavily brilliant . In: The time . October 1, 2019 ( zeit.de [accessed April 2, 2020]).
- ↑ Jackie Wullschläger : Summer books of 2019: Art and photography . In: Financial Times . November 22, 2019 (English, ft.com [accessed April 2, 2020]).
- ↑ Martin Gayford: It's yellow, not green, that's the color of jealousy . In: The Spectator . November 30, 2019 (English, sueddeutsche.de [accessed April 2, 2020]).