Rembrandt's Painting "An Old Man in Military Costume"
With an extraordinary intensity, Rembrandt van Rijn’s “An Old Man in Military Costume” is an example of the artist’s use of dynamic lighting. The painting, on display at the Getty Museum, contains a single figure, an old man dressed in a military uniform. While one may appreciate the beauty of the work, to fully experience the passion and genius of the artist, it is necessary to see the painting in person. The delicate details that may be missed by a digital image are easily caught by the human eye. The proper way to view a Rembrandt is in the flesh; the difference is amazing.
Born in Leiden, Netherlands, Rembrandt was the son of a miller and a baker’s daughter. Unsatisfied with life at the University of Leiden, Rembrandt left school to pursue painting. He studied under Pieter Lastman who introduced the young painter to the works of Italian masters, particularly Caravaggio. Even though Rembrandt never traveled to Italy, his works bear the stamp of Italian influence, especially in his preference for dramatic lighting over Dutch smoothness. Moving to Amsterdam in 1631, Rembrandt began working for commission and became very successful. He painted “An Old Man in Military Costume” in 1631, during a time when his work was characterized by strong lighting effects. Neither a religious work nor a commissioned portrait, this work is more than likely one that Rembrandt painted for himself.
An unusual painting, “An Old Man in Military Costume” is a solitary figure against a blank background. The figure, an old man, is dressed in a somber military outfit; a simple costume without any frills or finery. The only decoration is a...
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... I was also impressed with the thought that Rembrandt touched the same canvas that I was viewing almost four hundred years ago. The painting serves as a direct link into the past; a past that is remarkable for all it accomplished.
A wonderful artistic example of light contrasting with dark, “Old Man in a Military Costume” is a remembrance of how closely connected we are with the past. When artists or historical figures are merely memorized names, they lose some of their impact; experiencing part of their lives reminds viewers of their humanity. Rembrandt’s painting has many visual layers while containing political and historical significance as well.
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The painting is organized simply. The background of the painting is painted in an Impressionist style. The blurring of edges, however, starkly contrasts with the sharp and hard contours of the figure in the foreground. The female figure is very sharp and clear compared to the background. The background paint is thick compared to the thin lines used to paint the figures in the foreground. The thick paint adds to the reduction of detail for the background. The colors used to paint the foreground figures are vibrant, as opposed to the whitened colors of the Impressionist background. The painting is mostly comprised of cool colors but there is a range of dark and light colors. The light colors are predominantly in the background and the darker colors are in the foreground. The vivid color of the robe contrasts with the muted colors of the background, resulting in an emphasis of the robe color. This emphasis leads the viewer's gaze to the focal part of the painting: the figures in the foreground. The female and baby in the foreground take up most of the canvas. The background was not painted as the artist saw it, but rather the impression t...
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This painting gives viewers a small glimpse into the past of the United States and the industrial revolution. Even though this picture showed a small glimpse of the past, a picture (or painting) is truly worth a thousand
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The Renaissance Period is widely known for the abundance of amazing portraiture that circulated around Europe. During the Renaissance, Albrecht Dürer, a German artist painted a self-portrait in 1500 that had qualities that differed from the usual style of artist in that time (Chauhan). Jean Clouet also painted a portrait for the King of France and became the official court painter. Both artists had a talent for portraiture, while their styles were quite different. King Francis I wanted to be seen as a powerful man, and appointed Clouet to paint him in a classically renaissance way that highlights his wealth and authority. Dürer, described as a cocky, self-centered man, painted himself in a light that is unique and puts him on a ‘holy’ pedestal (Stokstad 356). In this essay I will show how although both paintings have clear differences with their style, both men in the compositions are conveyed in a great and very powerful sense.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s Employment Projections 2012-2022 released in January 2014, the Registered Nursing workforce is the top occupation in terms of job growth through 2022. It is expected that the number of employed nurses will grow from 2.71 million in 2012 to 3.24 million in 2022, an increase of 526,800 or 19 percent. Growth will take place for a number of reasons: demand for health care services due to increasing life expectancy; chronic conditions, such as arthritis, dementia, diabetes, and obesity; and the number of individuals who have access to health services.
For decades after the release of Cain’s book Survivors of Suicide, little research was conducted on suicide survivors; howeve...
...wn in the succeeding works of his lifetime. It is thought that this aura of sorrow is capable of moving a person so much that a sadness like this is only found in Rembrandt's last portraits, and no other accomplished artists’. Titian’s work is significant for this effect of inspiring and stirring emotion in even the tamest heart. (“Encyclopedia of World Biography” 242-243)
Spetz, Joanne, and Sara Adams. "How Can Employment-Based Benefits Help the Nurse Shortage?" Health Affairs 25 (Jan.-Feb. 2006): 212-218. ProQuest . Ithaca Coll. Lib., Ithaca, NY. 10 Dec. 2012. .
In the past decade, suicide rates have been on the incline; especially among men. According to the New York Times (2013), “From 1999 to 2010, the suicide rate among Americans ages 35 to 64 rose by nearly 30 percent… The suicid...
The transition to civilian life has left many young veterans desperate as suicide rates among veterans are much higher than that of the civilian population. In fact according to (Basu, 2013), “the annual suicide rate among veterans is about 30 for every 100,000 of the population, compared with the civilian rate of 14 per 100,000. The analysis of records from 48 states found that the suicide rate for veterans increased an average of 2.6% a year from 2005 to 2011 -- more than double the rate of increase for civilian suicide.” As these brave men and women have given so much to protect this country it is important to look at why suicide rates among veterans are so high and propose a possible solution to this horrible problem.
One of the more shocking and disturbing facts related to the fallout of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq is this: the number of suicides among the US active duty military personnel has now surpassed the number of troops killed in battle (Williams.) That number reflects the fact that essentially 22 soldiers killed themselves every day, or one every 65 minutes. This troubling trend has been rising since 2005. In addition, the suicide rate of military members in the US is twice as high as it was before the start of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. There have been many social scientists that have developed ideas about what causes people to commit suicide: individual dynamics, social factors, or a combination of both. Emile Durkheim, in his landmark work regarding suicide, developed four different categories of suicide: fatalistic, egoistic, anomic and altruistic. This paper will discuss the issue of suicides among the military, using the framework of Durkheim’s theory of suicide, and focusing on the fatalistic, egoistic, and anomic categories to explain this alarming phenomenon.
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Matthew Miller, et al. "Suicide Attempts And Suicide Among Marines: A Decade Of Follow-Up." Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior 43.1 (2013): 39-49. MEDLINE. EBSCO. Web. 16 Oct. 2013.