Rembrandt: Master of the Portrait

by Pascal Bonafoux, Rembrandt van Rijn (Painter)

Traces the life and career of one of the world's greatest painters and analyzes Rembrandt's paintings, discussing the artist's use of light and assessing his powerful and perceptive portraits. Original.

Genres: Art, Biography

175 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 1992

About the author

Pascal Bonafoux is a French writer, novelist, art critic and art historian, a specialist in self-portraiture. He collaborates with various newspapers and magazines, he is the author of numerous essays dedicated to art and was a resident at the French Academy in Rome. He is professor of art history at Paris 8 University, and is also a curator who organises exhibitions either in France or abroad.

Reviews

[Mesoscope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pascal Bonafoux offers an excellent brief introduction to the life and main works of Rembrandt. Highly readable, makes good use of the historical sources, and offers and good first look at one of the great geniuses of European art.

[Michael P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a bit of a debunk of Rembrandt's character, but the best biography I have read that weaves his life with his work. This is really very good for such a unpretentious book.