Rembrandt's 1654 Life of Christ prints: Graphic chiaroscuro, the Northern print tradition, and the question of series.

摘要

This dissertation examines four New Testament prints by Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn from about 1654: the Presentation in the Temple, Descent from the Cross by Torchlight, Entombment, and Christ at Emmaus. These prints have occasionally been discussed as a stylistically and thematically related group because of their similar size, vertical format, expressive use of light, and narrative subject matter. This dissertation explores how Rembrandt’s use of dramatic chiaroscuro and technical experimentation with printmaking inform our understanding of these four prints. Further, this dissertation investigates the relationship of these four prints to Rembrandt’s oeuvre, the Northern print tradition, and one another, exploring the question of whether these images constitute a series.