There is a myth surrounding famous Dutch painter Rembrandt: that he secretly converted to Judaism.
Was the Dutch 17th century master Rembrandt, a Jew? In the last of a series of exhibitions marking the artist’s 400th birthday, the Jewish Historical Museum in Amsterdam sets out to examine the myth of the painter’s Jewish links.
The answer: no.
The exhibition mercilessly demolishes the myth. It retraces the history of the “Jewish quarter”, which in Rembrandt’s day in the 17th century was the “artists quarter.” His portraits are of ….priests, with beards, wearing skullcaps and reading Hebrew texts with their almond-slit eyes.
And what about his “Moses and the Tables of Law”?
“If Rembrandt had really painted with the help of a rabbi, he would not have let through the spelling mistakes in the Hebrew text,” suggests van Voolen.
What about Rembrandt’s Christ painted from a model met at the synagogue? Not true: archives have enabled historians to establish that the picture was painted according to a description made up by a medieval monk.
Even the celebrated canvas, “The Jewish Bride” is not spared close scrutiny. Does it really portray a Jewish couple? According to art historians, it recounts an episode in the Old Testament when Jefta promised God, while fighting the Ammonites, that he would sacrifice the first person he met after the battle — which turned out to be his daughter.
Personally, I could not care less about his religion. The only thing I care about is that he was a magnificent painter, one of the best the world has ever seen… and that he was Dutch.
We, the Dutch, are proud of our rich cultural history. We brought forth some of the greatest artists and free-thinkers in the history of mankind, especially during our ‘Golden Era’.
We are proud of it and we should be proud of it.
However, I cannot help but consider it to be a sad thing as well: sure we enriched mankind with works of art and philosophy 200 – 400 years ago… but what about the now? What about today?
Where are our great artists, philosophers, statesmen, writers and scientists today? Besides Ayaan Hirsi Ali, where are they?
As Michael Stickings would say… will the new Dutch hero please stand up, please stand up.
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