Self-Portrait (1659)-full by Rembrandt van Rijn HD Download

Self-Portrait (1659)-full by Rembrandt van Rijn

Self-Portrait (1659)-d2 by Rembrandt van Rijn

Self-Portrait

Rembrandt van Rijn

Artist Rembrandt van Rijn

Date 1659

Medium Oil on canvas

Collection National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Download

Standard Quality

1390 x 1800 pixels · 1.91 MB · JPEG

Premium Quality

3090 x 4000 pixels · 11.84 MB · JPEG

About the Artist

Rembrandt van Rijn

Dutch (1606–1669)

Emerging from the Dutch Golden Age, this master of light and shadow transformed paint into profound human drama. His work—unflinching in its psychological depth—captured the raw humanity of his subjects, whether biblical figures, wealthy patrons, or his own aging face. Unlike contemporaries who idealized their sitters, he reveled in texture: the crumpled lace of a collar, the gnarled hands of an old woman, the play of candlelight on gold brocade. Tragedy and ambition shaped his career. After early success in Amsterdam, where his dynamic group portraits like *The Night Watch* broke conventions, financial mismanagement and personal loss (the deaths of his wife and three children) left him bankrupt. Yet his late period, often dismissed by patrons as "rough," produced some of his most moving works—self-portraits where brushstrokes dissolve into introspection, the eyes holding centuries of sorrow and wit. Rembrandt’s legacy lies in his refusal to flatter. He painted Bathsheba’s vulnerability, Samson’s betrayal, and his own jowls with equal honesty. Theatrical chiaroscuro—learned from Caravaggio—became in his hands a tool not for spectacle, but for revelation. By the time he died in obscurity, he’d redefined art itself: no longer just skill, but a mirror held up to the soul.

Master’s Palette

Reveal the unique color story behind each piece, helping you delve into the artistic essence, and spark boundless inspiration and imagination.

HEX color palette extracted from Self-Portrait (1659)-palette by Rembrandt van Rijn

Bring the captivating colors to your project. Click to copy!

#3e3223

#a06f43

#070602

#e7b681

#755942

#221d12

#855730

#d19d6f

Artwork Story

Rembrandt’s 1659 Self-Portrait is the kind of painting that makes you forget it’s oil on canvas—it’s more like standing across from a man who’s decided to stop pretending. The wrinkles aren’t just painted; they’re earned. That furrowed brow and the way the light catches the left side of his face, like he’s halfway between a workshop and a confessional, it’s got this… this weight to it. You can almost smell the linseed oil and stale bread from his studio.
What’s wild is how he out-Dutch-mastered himself here. Compare it to his earlier, flashier self-portraits—the ones where he’s playing dress-up as a Renaissance noble or some biblical hero—and this one’s like a gut punch. No lace collars, no dramatic shadows hiding the bad years. Just a guy who’s run out of fucks to give about looking important. The brushwork’s looser too, like he’s speed-painting between debt collector visits. Funny how financial ruin sharpens a man’s honesty.
You’d hang this in a room where people argue about important things at 2am. Somewhere with woodsmoke stains on the ceiling and a wine stain on the rug that nobody bothers to hide. It’s not a decorator’s piece—it’s the kind of painting that stares back when you’re lying to yourself. Makes you wonder if Rembrandt knew we’d still be squirming under that gaze four centuries later. Probably. The bastard always did have timing.