Gloria Rosen, age 13, of Evansville, Ind., for her question:
WHO WAS REMBRANDT?
Rembrandt was one of the world's greatest artists. He was the finest artist to ever come from the Netherlands. He lived from 1606 until 1669.
His full name was Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn.
Rembrandt's output as an artist was tremendous. He completed about 600 paintings, 300 etchings and about 1,400 drawings. Unlike a lot of other great artists of the past, Rembrandt wrote almost nothing about his own work.
But throughout his career, Rembrandt turned out about 100 portraits of himself. The paintings and drawings form a unique autobiography.
Rembrandt's selection of subject matter covered a wide field. His works include landscapes, nudes, portraits, scenes of everyday life, animals and birds, historical and mythological subjects and canvases inspired by tales from the old and New Testaments.
Few artists from throughout history have been able to match Rembrandt's genius for showing the human aspects of Biblical characters.
Art experts say that Rembrandt's reputation rests on his ability to tell a story in his paintings. He was always able to capture a warm sympathy and had the ability to show the innermost feelings of the people he portrayed.
Rembrandt very expertly used light and shadow to create atmosphere that enabled others to share his sensitive response to nature and his profound understanding of man's inner life.
In fact, experts tell us that not too many other 'artists throughout history have been able to use light and shadow better than Rembrandt to heighten the drama of a painting. The spectacular use of light and shadow became Rembrandt's trademark of pictorial expression.
Rembrandt moved to Amsterdam when he was 26 years old and almost immediately established his reputation as the most fashionable portrait portrait painter in The Netherlands.
"The Night Watch," an oil painting completed by Rembrandt in 1642, became known as the artist's most famous picture. But the man who commissioned it was not satisfied with the portrait and refused the painting.
But Rembrandt refused to change the picture in any way and he eventually received a high price for the masterpiece. He continued throughout his life to receive important public and private painting commissions.
During his last year, Rembrandt's art gained steadily in spiritual depth and pictorial richness. His light glowed in paintings completed during his final years and his shadows became more intense and vibrant.
Because he painted so many masterpieces during his lifetime, many of the world's leading museums are now able to include examples of Rembrandt's outstanding work.