Franciscan Friar by Rembrandt

 

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A Franciscan Friar, by Rembrandt

This man is wearing the habit of an order of monks founded to follow the teachings of Saint Francis of Assisi. His pose, eyes cast down and apparently lost in thought, reflects the Franciscan way of life – one of simplicity and prayer. This may be a portrait of an individual friar, or perhaps a tronie – a popular genre of painting depicting interesting character types instead of identifiable individuals.

Rembrandt made at least four other paintings and sketches on similar Franciscan themes, an unusual subject for a Protestant painter in a city where Catholic worship was technically banned. But, despite the ban there were two thriving Franciscan churches on the street where he lived. Although they had to hold services in ‘private’, Rembrandt must have known about them, and was clearly interested in the order which had such a strong presence in his neighbourhood.

Rembrandt's style, characteristic for its strong impastoes, its excellent use of chiaroscuro, its expressiveness, its spontaneity, its intense colors and its realism surrounded by movement, make Rembrandt one of the best baroque artists in Holland, and one of the classic authors of the universal art.

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