Who was Rembrandt van Rijn
Who was Rembrandt?
Rembrandt will speak for himself:
My name is Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. Four hundred years ago I was born to the sound of the humming sails of a windmill on the banks of the Rhine. That's how I got my name Van Rijn, Rembrandt of the Rhine. I was born on 15 July 1606 in the Weddesteeg in Leiden. As a young child I was always drawing. I wanted more than anything to be a painter. My parents made sure that I was properly trained. As a result I was able to turn my hobby into my profession.
I would like to show you the town where I was born, Leiden. The town where I grew up and learned my trade. The town where I saw the light of day. The light that is so important in my etchings and paintings.
In 2006 it will be 400 years since Rembrandt, the greatest painter of the Dutch Golden Age, saw the light of day. This is why for a whole year we are celebrating the Dutch master, who like no other could capture light and dark in paint, but who was also unrivalled as a draughtsman and etcher.
In 2006 it will be 400 years since Rembrandt van Rijn was born in Leiden. For a whole year there will be festivals in Leiden and the whole city will be under the spell of the young Rembrandt. All of Leiden will be buzzing with Rembrandt activities. Various events and exhibitions will draw multitudes of tourists from home and abroad. Rembrandt and Leiden will be mentioned in one breath in 2006, because:
'Rembrandt saw the light of day in Leiden'
The years 1606-1631 are also known as Rembrandt's Leiden period, but what did Rembrandt really do in Leiden?
Rembrandt van Rijn was born on 15 July 1606 in Leiden. He was the youngest son of Harmen Gerritszoon van Rijn, a miller, just as his grandfather and great-grandfather before him. Rembrandt was born in a house in the Weddesteeg in the former Noord Rapenburg district. This district no longer exists with this name, but it's the area to the North of the present Rapenburg.
Rembrandt's youth is closely intertwined with the history of Leiden at the start of the Golden Age.