Arty Farty Friday ~ Rembrandt

I'm surprised to find I have never featured Rembrandt before on some past Arty Farty Friday but, as far as I can tell, I haven't.

Rembrandt - his name has become familiar enough to roll off the tongue in everyday conversations about art: "He's no Rembrandt, but he does draw nicely..."; "You never know, you might even find a Rembrandt in the attic, or in the junk store on Main Street!"

The most readable potted biography I've found comes from HERE, the National Gallery in London, UK.

This video, running just under 6 minutes, is good too.




Ten of Rembrandt's best-known paintings are featured at this website.



ASTROLOGY

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was born in Leiden in the Netherlands on 15 July 1606 (Gregorian) according to Astrodienst. The time of birth mentioned is a rectification, with an 'X' rating (not reliable), so the chart below is set for 12 noon.

 Self portrait

During his fairly short lifetime, he died aged 63 in 1669, he experienced love and loss - three of his children died within a few months of birth; his wife died, possibly of consumption or the plague, shortly after giving birth to a fourth son, who did live beyond childhood, but also died before Rembrandt.

He enjoyed success and calamity, the former, of course, due to his talent as an artist, the latter to his profligacy. He loved to buy artworks and antiques, pieces for use as "props" in his paintings. He lived beyond his means.

Sun at 22 Cancer harmoniously trines Moon at 22 Scorpio. He was a sensitive and highly emotional character, we can be pretty sure of that. His paintings are described by experts as being very warm, human, accessible, in a "warts and all" way. He doesn't sugar coat his portraits and depictions of historical or religious events, but paints them realistically and, seemingly, with an understanding of and affection for his subject.

There's a single Air planet in his natal chart, Venus, planet of the arts, in Gemini. Venus is in uncomfortable square aspect to Neptune (planet of imagination and creativity) in Virgo though - but because both Gemini and Virgo are ruled by Mercury, I'd say this square wasn't as uncomfortable as might be expected. Even so, creative imagination didn't feature greatly in Rembrandt's art - he relied on realism with, in his later works, a new idea - the use of broader brush strokes. Uranus, planet of all things new, including painting techniques, was in semi-sextile to Venus and sextile his Sun, linking into his nature an urge to experiment with new ideas.

So, where do we find Rembrandt's habit of living beyond his means in the natal chart? That'd be connected to Jupiter for sure! Jupiter certainly links well into his general nature: it sits in early Pisces, in sextile to Pluto in Taurus; trine Mercury in Cancer; sextile Saturn in Capricorn. That last sextile, from Saturn, likely brought with it many accounts needing urgently to be paid!

His well spread natal chart is capable of throwing up numerous chart patterns or planetary circuits compatible with both potential success and potential struggle; that kind of contrast does fit his life story pretty well!