Christ Preaching or La Petite Tombe

Christ Preaching or La Petite Tombe

Christ Preaching by Rembrandt

Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn was a prolific artist from seventeenth century, producing at least six hundred paintings, three hundred etchings, and two thousand drawings. His works are known for being dramatic and devoid of the formality that was common among his contemporaries. Rembrandt was born in The Netherland, and later achieved fame in Amsterdam. Having studied at the University of Leiden and as an apprentice under Jacob van Leiden, he opened his own studio by the age of twenty-one, and began taking on his own students. Marriage into a wealthy family brought him into social circles where his work was held in high esteem. After his wife's death, Rembrandt had a child out of wedlock and he was given an official reprimand by the church. Despite "living in sin," Rembrandt's work was often of religious or biblical content. One of his etchings, known as Christ Preaching or The Hundred Guilder Print, is a piece of particular memorability because it is visually stunning, a brilliant interpretation of Biblical verses, and also demonstrates the true mastery of printmaking techniques, a field in which Rembrandt surpassed all other artists of his era.

The Hundred Guilder Print of Christ Preaching was printed around 1649. It is an etching, printed with drypoint and burin, on Japanese paper. It measures 28.1 cm by 38.9 cm, and it was trimmed just inside the plate line. The actual work produced by Rembrandt was an etched plate made of copper for use in printing, therefore he was able to create many duplicates of his work. There are different printings of this piece still surviving today, and many of them were printed in this style with Japanese paper. The choice of this type of paper enhanced the quality of the piece. Every printing done by Rembrandt was slightly different because he applied the ink to the etching by hand, and pressed the paper in different ways. The choice of the Japanese paper, which is an earth-tone rather than white, helps soften the lines of the piece and create a less stark contrast between the blacks and whites. Rembrandt was one of the first Western artists to use this kind of paper, which may have been because it made the etching seem more like a painting than a print. The paper additionally kept the lines of the drawing clear and crisp because the smooth surface of this kind of paper does not absorb the ink. The ink remains on the surface. It is additionally an optimal paper type to use for printings of this sort because the surface is soft, therefore the printing press does not have to apply very much pressure. This is important because the less pressure used for each print, the longer the etching will last, because they wear out the lines in the copper over time.

The people in the painting are representative of Christ's activities in Judea, from the Gospel of St. Matthew. The Christ is the central figure, standing calm and in a position of blessing the crowd, standing on an altar that lifts him above every other figure in the etching. He is slightly to the left of the etching, which not only gives the piece more movement instead of the stationary feel it would have if the central figure was in the exact center of the picture, but also gives the piece a good flow of energy. The right of the room is very crowded and claustrophobic, while the crowd dissipates as it pans to the right of the image, and finally reaching the doorway which opens to the outside. He is a unifying force for the rest of the somewhat chaotic and very full room, standing like a god among mortals. He has a halo over his head, as well as a beam of light shining down on him from directly above, and his clothing is light-colors robes that appear more elegant than the clothing of the other figures. At the right of the picture, the crowd consists of ill, injured, and crippled followers. These people on the right of the etching are seated lowest in the image, in the shadows. Among them are men, women, and children. Many of them have looks of agony on their faces, some looking away from Christ miserably, while others are looking hopefully to him for healing. Their clothing appears dirty and torn, enhancing their poor appearance and characterizing them as in need of help. This is taken from the chapter in Matthew where Jesus heals many people who are following him. There are Pharisees in the etching as well, seated in the background, which is from another chapter in Matthew. There are women and children that are approaching Christ in the etching, but being held back by Peter. Christ is, however, encouraging them and gesturing to Peter to allow them to come. There is also a dressed-up man in the etching that appears to be very wealthy among all of the common people, which may be a reference to the rich man in Matthew that was challenged to give up his wealth to become a follower of Christ. The most amusing part of the picture is the silhouette of the camel in the doorway. This is a reference to the line in the Bible that states it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. This is a particularly interesting addition with the rich man in the room with Christ.

The technical significance of this piece is very important in the history of printmaking. Rembrandt made advances in the technique of etchings and prints that revolutionized this process. One notable style choice that Rembrandt made was the distinction between the way he made the lines on the two sides of the image. The people on the left were etched with a minimum of lightly bitten lines, making less dramatic lines, and a lighter tone. However, the lines etched on the left of the image are much richer in tone and contrast, creating more dramatic shadows and depth. This adds to the image contextually because of the difference between the lepers and ill on the right, in comparison with the others in the room. This kind of detail and quality in an etching was totally unsurpassed by other artists.