REMBRANDT Harmensz. van Rijn Dutch 1606–1669 Portrait of a white-haired man 1667 oil on canvas 108.9 x 92.7 cm Felton Bequest 1951 2372-4		This is the second-last portrait painted by Rembrandt, who died two years after completing it. Towards the end of his career the popularity of his style had waned and he received few commissions in the last years of his life, yet this work has qualities greatly admired today. This portrait hardly flatters the sitter in a physical sense, but character and personality exude from the canvas. The power of the work is derived from the composition, which focuses attention on the direct gaze of the sitter, and Rembrandt's style and consummate technique. He uses a striking combination of broad, bold brushstrokes with delicately rendered details, particularly in the wavy hair. Rembrandt used a simple yet dynamic composition where the sitter's weight distribution and volume is suggested not by detailed modelling, but by contrasting the formless black clothing with brightly lit hands resting solidly on the chair. The weight and volume suggests the tangibility, substance and humanity of the sitter.
		Artist biography List other works from the Master's Eye exhibition Framing the 'Portrait of a White-Haired Man' Other works by Rembrandt