Rembrandt: The Christmas Story edited by David Wavre. Library section 7F: Religious Arts. I found this book at ELC’s rummage sale! I am glad I could get it for the library.
Rembrandt van Rijn, b. 1606, was one of the Netherlands’ most famous painters. This little book presents more than forty oil paintings, pen and ink sketches, and etchings depicting with great sweetness and power the story of the birth of Christ. Some scenes such as the “Adoration of the Shepherds” may be familiar, others such as “The Flight into Egypt” are less so.
The editor’s nine-page introduction discusses the importance of Rembrandt, how his home, his wife, and his own infant children may have been models for these works. Indeed, Jesus being rocked in his wicker cradle by mother Mary looks contemporary of Rembrandt’s time and the cozy intimacy suggest the joy Rembrandt found in his own family life. A scene in John the Baptist’s home includes a large, curtained, four poster bed, another give-away that the painter is a northern European.
Rembrandt used lighting to make his works dramatic, long before spotlights were invented! Often the light source – a lantern, candle or torch – is hidden by a foreground figure, so the figure is in darkness and the area behind the figure is lit, perhaps with large cast shadows on the far wall to heighten the drama. In each painting of Jesus, Rembrandt focuses light on the Christ child, the center of attention. But in at least a few scenes, the light emanates from Jesus himself, symbolizing his holy status.
Family cats and dogs inhabit these scenes, creating a feeling of domesticity. The building architecture is Gothic – northern European, certainly not middle eastern. Costumes are what Rembrandt and his Netherlanders imagined middle eastern Jewish costumes might have looked like – vaguely “Oriental,” flowing garments, cloaks, heavy veils worn more for warmth than modesty, and tall bulbous hats.
Beyond the introduction, the each work by Rembrandt is accompanied by Bible verses upon which the works are based. Also included are the sizes of the works and where the originals are located. When sharing this book’s pictures with a child, first ask the child to guess what part of the Nativity story the scene shows. Who are the people in it? Then read the bible verses to find the answer.
For an older child, talk about how the picture was made – an oil painting on canvas, a pen and ink sketch, or an etching (a scene scratched into a metal plate, then inked, wiped off, and printed. The ink that has remained in the tiny lines on the metal plate gets printed on the paper.) Discuss the size of the work with the child and where the work is located. It is important for children to learn that actual art works are often much, much larger than the reproduction in the book may be, and that if the child wishes, he can one day travel to see the actual art work. Some of these works are in Detroit, the National Gallery in Washington, DC, London, Paris, and Amsterdam. In this way you open the work of art to your child. Ask your child to draw her own picture of one part of the Nativity story, and hang it up for display. ( )