By Rhea Mathur??
Styles of painting vary?tremendously?across nations. The use of gold in Mughal?paintings?is?indicative?of their prosperity and wealth. The use of?chiaroscuro in?Rembrandt’s work. The rare?use of Fresco technique in?Dutch,?mural?paintings. The Flemish?and Dutch?preference of using?luminous?colours, their tendency to?portray?religious and secular beliefs through art, all specific to their land, culture?and background.??
Rembrandt?Harmenszoon?van Rijn is considered one of the greatest visual artists?in the world?and?was?born in Leiden, Netherlands. He is known for his self-portraits, etching techniques and paintings?that?were highly appraised by his community. Now,?his?work: ‘Titus as a Monk’, ‘Jan Six’ amongst many others are highly revered?and are?all collected in galleries and museums?across the world.?Rembrandt?used techniques?to?play?with shadow and light in several paintings and was constantly inspired by art from across the globe. Although he had never himself travelled?outside the Netherlands, let alone to a country?as far as India, he?also?developed an avid interest in the Mughal?miniatures. In fact, he copied several Mughal miniatures even in the last decades of his life.??
A brief history of Mughal Art
Mir?Sayyid?Ali and?Abdus?Samad, two of the greatest Persian artists came with?Humayun?to Delhi. They laid the foundation for Mughal paintings and artwork. However, it was?during?Jahangir’s rule that the Mughal art?reached its peak. His keen interest in paintings made him open a gallery in his own garden. Not only was Jahangir?enamoured?by the beauty of Mughal art, he also showed interest in European paintings brought by?Sir Thomas Roe. In fact, his court painters were?asked to?recreate most paintings?brought by the English Diplomat. Thus, the influence of art spread across the world, travelling from one nation to another, spreading inspiration.??
Rembrandt and his Mughal inspiration
Rembrandt?was introduced to Mughal paintings by his??clientele”?as conveyed?by?Stephanie Schrader, a curator?at the Department of Drawings at the J. Paul Getty?Museum.?Schrader?specializes?in 16th-18th?century Dutch and Flemish?art. She stated that?Rembrandt’s?”clientele?consisted?of merchants whose wealth was inextricably linked to global trade and finance. It is conceivable that one of these men owned Mughal paintings that the artist copied?.? It was known that he took pride in never travelling and with the help of his?clientele, inspiration?travelled to him instead.??
The exhibition at the Getty Centre
Thus, to commemorate this spread of inspiration, The?J. Paul Getty Museum?in its?renowned?Getty Centre will be showcasing an exhibition of?Rembrandt’s?work. The exhibition called “Rembrandt and the Inspiration of India” will be held from 13th?March to 24th?June in Los Angeles, USA. The idea behind the exhibition is to portray the juxtaposition between?Rembrandt’s?view of the Mughal paintings?and the originals. This highlights the?impact of culture and environment?on art which?will be made evident to those visiting the exhibition.??
Schrader?calls?Rembrandt?the??pioneer of cross-cultural exchanges?. She states that the artist’s recreation of Mughal paintings also?contrasts?his usual?inspiration?that comes?from??atmospheric Dutch countryside, biblical scenes infused with the poignant psychological drama“. The Mughal?art,?on the other hand, depicts?Indian traditional outfits, the elaborate?jewellery?as well as swords and other decorated weapons which his recreations then?captured. In the process of re-creating this vastly different art,?Rembrandt?also showcases his thought process and understanding of Indian culture.?The curator states that “he scratched out his first attempt to portray” the emperor, Shah Jahan’s “nose?and redrew the nose bridge”. His?punctilious record of facial features and other details?makes the exhibition extremely?intriguing?and worth a visit.??
Rembrandt’s work has managed to?travel?through?time while remaining just as enchanting as it used to be.?His work?will now?also?help?spread?knowledge?of the old Mughal?miniatures?through the Western World. Thus, aiding inspiration to?still continue to travel across the globe.???
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