Rembrandt in Oman- A true milestone in Exhibitions

To bend a phrase, “ They arrived and they conquered.”

Such was the ‘top of mind’ feeling of all the invitees to the Opening of Rembrandt in Oman, as they slowly and almost reverentially walked past the awe-inspiring etchings that had been beautifully showcased and displayed on the specially constructed walls of the Al Afrah Ballroom in the Grand Hyatt.

The first of its kind exhibition in the Middle East and North Africa, showcasing 100 etchings of the world famous 17th century Dutch painter Rembrandt, ( of which 79 are from the Rembrandt House in Holland and 21 from a private collection in Germany) this exhibition was inaugurated by HH Sayyid Haitham Bin Tariq Al Said, Minister of Heritage and Culture, at the Al Afrah Ballroom in the Grand Hyatt Hotel on Wednesday evening.

Planned as an ongoing event, this exhibition will remain open to the public for a month, i.e from Aug 20th to Sep 19th and will continue to provide many, many hours of sheer viewing delight to true art lovers and connoisseurs within the Sultanate The exhibition which has been organized by the Al Salmi Library and managed by NPA Events, can be termed as a milestone in art exhibitions in the Sultanate of Oman, not only for the large scale and wide ranging works of one of the worlds most revered renowned artists, but by the very fact that it has actually been possible.

Janrense Boonstra, Director of the Rembrandt House Museum, who was also present on the occasion, explained that “Rembrandt developed the etching technique into an art form in which he could express his own ideas and inventions. One of our goals is to share this work with as many people as possible, and to let them encounter Rembrandt.”

Rembrandt is now thought to be the greatest Dutch painter and also one of the greatest painters of all time. Throughout his career Rembrandt took as his primary subjects the themes of portraiture, landscape and narrative painting.A parallel development may be seen in his skill as a printmaker. In the etchings of his maturity, particularly from the late 1640s onward, the freedom and breadth of his drawings and paintings found expression in the print medium as well. The works encompass a wide range of subject matter and technique, sometimes leaving large areas of white paper to suggest space, at other times employing complex webs of line to produce rich dark tones.

In 1626 Rembrandt produced his first etchings, the wide dissemination of which would largely account for his international fame. In 1629 he completed Judas Repentant, Returning the Pieces of Silver and The Artist in His Studio, works that evidence his interest in the handling of light and variety of paint application, and constitute the first major progress in his development as a painter.

The same awe-inspiring talent which continues to enthrall us more than three centuries later…..

N.B-This is a Feature written for the Times of Oman/Thursday .

All photo credits- Neha Singh