All the artists you will meet in this room – from Rembrandt to contemporary artists – have two things in common: they all made works on paper, and experimented without holding back. By trying out different techniques and materials, they continually discovered something new. And they approached the same theme over and over with a fresh perspective. Thanks to these experiments, they have developed their craftsmanship into mastery. Discover more than 80 artworks from the collection of the Rembrandt House Museum by Rembrandt, Hercules Segers, Geertruydt Roghman, Willem den Ouden, Glenn Brown, Guy Vording.
In this exhibition you’ll also have the opportunity to make a drawing yourself, right in the middle of the gallery! Try out different types of paper and drawing materials. Just like the artists around you – each and every one of them a source of inspiration.
Experiment with trees
If Rembrandt were to have a motto, it would have been ‘work from life’. In other words: observe your subject very carefully. This way he was able to very convincingly depict a group of lonely trees on a hill. You can almost hear the approaching wind rustling through the leaves. But Rembrandt was certainly not the only one with strong observation skills. In the exhibition you will see prints by artists from the 17th to the 20th century, who all put their own spin on the same subject. Every print includes a tree, yet it is never the same.
Experiment with Rembrandt
Tronies were very popular in the 17th century. They are portraits of models that portray a specific type or an emotion. Rembrandt was a master at making tronies. Two of them are shown here. Contemporary artist Glenn Brown (1966) took Rembrandt’s tronies as the basis for his own series. On his iPad he transformed Rembrandt’s artworks into a wild interplay of lines. He then made an etching of the new tronie. Finally, he superimposed two etchings and made the prints you see in the exhibition.
Experiment with lines
Willem den Ouden (1928-2025) lived on the Waal River and studied the landscape for over fifty years. He looked at how he can capture the atmosphere of the river. With just a few lines he depicted the flowing water, the reflections of clouds and low-hanging mist. He printed his lithographs on thin Chinese paper that is glued to a sturdy sheet of paper. There is a French term for this: chine collé. This technique causes the paper to protrude slightly, creating a shimmering effect.
Experiment with black
Rembrandt often played with the effects of light and dark. Not just in his paintings but also in his prints. This is particularly challenging, as making a print very dark requires making a great many scratches on the plate. The difficulty lies in preserving nuances so that details remain visible even within the darkness. Artists that came after Rembrandt also experimented with this: what do you show, and what do you let fade into the black?
