In German you have the word Altersquiet, for the style of artists in their twilight years. But what about at the other end? Is there such a thing as a youth style, which already contains the seeds of the later personality?
A nice test case hangs in the Lakenhal in Leiden. It is a small painting that Rembrandt painted when he was eighteen, of a spectacles seller: a type with a turban and an earring shows a pince-nez from a box on his stomach. The Leiden painting is temporarily accompanied by three of its kind. Together they perform variations on the theme ‘The senses’: sight, hearing, feeling, smell and (as yet missing) taste.
The glasses seller represents… right.
We do not know why or for whom Rembrandt made this series, but there is a fantastic source about the young artist, who, together with his friend Jan Lievens, developed into the best painter of his time. In his autobiography, poet and diplomat Constantijn Huygens tells about the two, “both still without beards and judging by their faces, more child than young man” who work together and both show a clear talent. Jan Lievens wins in greatness of vision, and also ambition: “whatever his young mind strives for must be great and sublime.” But he is also touchy and has difficulty withstanding criticism.
Lievens could do a lot, but he could not be taught. The other “likes to concentrate wholeheartedly on a small painting, and,” Huygens adds with surprising insight, “achieves a result that one would look for in vain in the largest works of others.” Rembrandt’s early series seems like an amusing demonstration of what Huygens observes.
At the time, the senses had a reputation for elegant chic, suitable for decorating your living room. It was fashion. Rembrandt also knew that you had to reach your audience. In his youth work he did it as he would always do: he dressed up an old story as real life, breathed movement into it and put a dramatic light on it.
Rembrandts Sight is not nearly as good as the paintings he would make a short time later, but the magic formula is already there.
And you keep watching. Pedlar tries to sell glasses to a guy who points out the size of his nose. A gamble like that doesn’t fit with pince-nez. Another victim has already put it on, but still doesn’t see a stitch. More potential customers in the background.
The way in which Rembrandt paints the merchant’s chest is also witty: with glowing lines that represent the glasses and magnifiers, arranged in rows.
The young Rembrandt probably made this painting quickly, almost like a cartoon, but the dynamics are completely thought out. Even when he was almost a child, he was already a master storyteller, able to bring old themes to life, with an early-developed awareness of the inherent messiness of existence.