Who Is Rembrandt's Aristotle With A Bust Of Homer

Executed by Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) in 1653, Aristotle with a Bust of Homer, as its title suggests, depicts Greek scientist and philosopher Aristotle and a bust of Homer, who was a blind Greek poet. The oil painting, although seemingly structurally simple at first glance, is perversely technically complex. Upon viewing the painting up close and under raking light, one may gain detailed insight into Rembrandt’s technical approaches to canvas, particularly his use of chiaroscuro, tenebrism, and impasto to represent his subjects.

Among the range of techniques that categorizes his painting style, Aristotle with a Bust of Homer perhaps most effectively encapsulates his extensive employment of chiaroscuro: the “strong, self-conscious juxtaposition of light and shade.” The predominantly melancholy color palette that saturates the background serves to emphasize the monumentality of both Aristotle and the Homer bust—simply put, to bring them forward to the picture plane. Their modestly lit figures appear to be engulfed by surrounding clouds of absolute darkness, or rather, in the midst of mystically emerging from a pool of murky black. The dark hues emphasize Aristotle’s beige robe and heavy gold chain

However, it is important to note that the cracks present, particularly along the bottom of the painting, indicate severe damage characteristic of that by a fire—perhaps the same fire in 1783 that extensively damaged Rembrandt’s Homer (1663). It appears that these areas of loss were not compensated for during the last conservation treatment; they may have been intentionally left exposed to account for the historical event. Furthermore, given the large scale of the painting, these areas of cracks are not noticeable from afar and do not distort