Looking for Rembrandt
2019 · BBC Four · 60 min · 1 season
S01E03 · Episode 3
Wed, 24 Apr, 6:00 am
In the final episode of this three-part series, we explore Rembrandt in his twilight years. Desperate for money, he takes on commissions that his pupils have rejected, and he looks for creative ways to divert money into his pocket as all of his possessions are taken by creditors. His work takes on a new style, embracing humanity rather than hubris - but this is not to everyone's taste. Left only with his paint brushes and his memories, we see the final self-portrait of a great painter who never stopped experimenting, never stopped searching: a genius still recognised four centuries after his death.
About
Rembrandt's art is much loved and admired, but his remarkable life is less well known. In this anniversary year, marking 350 years since his death, his surprising story is told from an unusual perspective - his own.
This three-part series sets out to reveal the answers behind the mysteries and shadows still lurking in Rembrandt's personal life.
Actor Toby Jones assumes the voice of the artist to explore how this explosive talent, in his youth the darling of Dutch high society, end up in a lowly rented grave. How could an artist made rich by the patronage of Amsterdam's wealthiest elite come to declare bankruptcy? And why did he fall out of favour at a time when he was painting his greatest masterpieces?
Episodes
- E01
Episode 1
Wed, 10 Apr· 60 minIn the first of three episodes we learn how Rembrandt arrived in Amsterdam ‘like a thunderclap' and was courted by the city's wealthy elite, before falling into conflict with the city's most powerful patrons. Jones explores the highs and lows of Rembrandt's personal life too: from the new-found riches enjoyed with his wife, Saskia van Uylenburgh, to the tragedies that unfolded before him, leading to some of his most celebrated work.
- E02
Episode 2
Wed, 17 Apr· 60 minThe second of three episodes begins with the painting of Rembrandt's most iconic work - The Night Watch. We explore how events surrounding its creation began a 10-year decline in the artist's painterly output, with his attention diverted to creating erotically-charged etchings inspired by a series of affairs. With a reputation as the city's notorious marital embarrassment, and unable to manage his debts, Rembrandt declared bankruptcy - an act that came to define him even in the centuries after his death.
- E03
Episode 3
Wed, 24 Apr· 60 minIn the final episode of this three-part series, we explore Rembrandt in his twilight years. Desperate for money, he takes on commissions that his pupils have rejected, and he looks for creative ways to divert money into his pocket as all of his possessions are taken by creditors. His work takes on a new style, embracing humanity rather than hubris - but this is not to everyone's taste. Left only with his paint brushes and his memories, we see the final self-portrait of a great painter who never stopped experimenting, never stopped searching: a genius still recognised four centuries after his death.
