Michael Taylor (2)

Six-word review: Central feature defines Rembrandt's compelling portraiture.

Extended review:

Through discussion and analysis of 49 of Rembrandt's images, both etchings and paintings, author Taylor draws attention to how the subject's nose in Rembrandt's treatments creates dimensionality and expresses artistic ideas. Much has been written about Rembrandt's handling of light and shadow, but this author's estimation of the importance of the nose in relation to light and shadow in his portraits claims to be original. In any event it is, if I may say so, illuminating.

Even though the reproductions here are all small and sepia-toned (apart from the full-color endpapers), there's enough clarity in them to support the text. I've spent a lot of time in the past few days looking up these and other images online and studying them enlarged and in color.

Taylor's prose is easygoing and accessible while still imparting insight. With surprisingly few words, he places his studies in the context both of the art world inhabited by Rembrandt and of the artist's own life. He traces the changing themes and style of Rembrandt's renderings of faces from the earliest to the last while paying special attention to the constants that hold throughout. I appreciated the tenderness with which Taylor reflects on Rembrandt's treatment of elderly subjects and how his self-portraits evolve as he becomes one himself.

I've been a museumgoer since I was a little girl, and I love the Dutch Masters more than anything--even the Impressionists; if I could see the works of only one place and period forevermore, they would be my choice. This small book came as a revelation to me. I'm currently taking a portraiture class conducted by a fine artist who is a demanding taskmaster. With the enhanced vision acquired from examining Rembrandt's works with Taylor's commentary in mind, I will be approaching tomorrow's class very differently from those of the past three months. Specifically, I will be aiming to overcome my fear of using too much shadow and focusing on how I might follow Rembrandt's example in seeing and depicting the model's nose. Could this be the key to that elusive effect of volume and vitality? We'll see; I hope someone with my small skills can still make use of it.

At the very least, I am aware of seeing differently, and that alone is a worthwhile result.… (meer)