“Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus” at the Detroit Institute of Arts brings together for the first time many of Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn’s finest paintings, prints and drawings that portray Jesus and events described in the Bible. The exhibit runs through Feb. 12. Cost is $16 for adults. For more details, go to http://www.dia.org

By Kaimana Kaaikala
What did Jesus look like? This question is one that every Christian believer – and most likely a person curious about the Christian faith, as well – asks himself or herself. He may have a muscular build; after all, there was much more manual labor during that time period, and there were no motor vehicles, therefore, forcing people to travel on foot. We are not quite sure if he had black skin or white. Many people envision Jesus with long hair, often times brown and wavy but possibly blonde, and with a beard. No one truly knows the human attributes of the Son of God for sure; nonetheless, many artists have illustrated their own images on what they believe Jesus looks like in person.

A current exhibit going on now through the month of February 2012 is titled “Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus.” This exhibit shows off works of art by Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn, more specifically the paintings, prints and drawings that portrayed Jesus and events occurring throughout the Bible. In the artwork it is interesting to see how Rembrandt stages the scene around Jesus, poses Jesus and other figures, and illuminates Jesus and the surrounding scene.

Rembrandt worked at an international printing center. He studied prints dramatizing scenes in the life of Jesus made by 1500s by northern European artists. He allowed those interpretations to influence the way he depicted scenes in the Bible. In his own artwork, Rembrandt enhanced his images based on the paper he chose to use. His most favorable type of paper for his illustrations was Japanese rice paper. The material was very thin, and it intensified the images by adopting the warmth in color. Also, records show Rembrandt owned the Stratenbijbel or States Bible of the Dutch Republic.; many citations from the descriptions of his paintings were taken from English translations of State Bible.

Arnold Houbraken, a painter and writer who studied under some of Rembrandt’s pupils, said that Rembrandt “surpassed everyone… especially in the facial expressions of the human figures, but also in the different movement of their bodies.” Rembrandt gives the people in his paintings emotion so the viewer will know what the figures are feeling.

There were a couple paintings in the exhibit that were drawings of Jesus but by other painters. There were two side-by-side that I clearly remember. Both paintings depicted Jesus being tortured before he was put on the cross. The painting by Valentin de Boulogne specifically portrayed Jesus with a muscular body being tugged along by his torturers. The other painting by Guido Reni shows blood dripping down Jesus’ pained face. Both illustrations depict anguish. The images were intended to move viewers to emotional responses and prayer.

Rembrandt uses light in his paintings to draw attention to important figures. Halos of light radiating from Jesus symbolize his divinity as Son of God. Firelight represents Jesus’ existence as human being on Earth. Celestial light from the sun, moon or sky represents the presence of God. He is famous for introducing this feature in several of his works.

In his piece titled The Visitation, it shows the virgin Mary and her distant cousin, Elizabeth, embracing each other. Both of the women are pregnant – Mary with Jesus and Elizabeth with John the Baptist. There is a light shining brightly from the right hand corner as if blessing them with God’s grace. But that isn’t the brightest part of the picture. The two women are glowing, pointing out their holiness and the holiness of the people to whom they will soon give birth.

One of his more famous paintings is titled Jesus and the Adulteress. In this painting Rembrandt uses the effect of lighting to communicate the scene very well. The characters in this painting are in a church or temple of some sort. The adulteress is on her knees in front of Jesus, who is off to one side; a crowd of witnesses surrounds the two. There is definitely a bright light shining down on the adulteress, quite like a spotlight. She is an important figure in this painting because she is the person of whom Jesus is conversing. Also evident is a light cast across Jesus; this specific lighting in the illustration is pretty cool because the light is not only cast on Jesus, but it extends to the adulteress, as well, and you get the message that Jesus is forgiving the woman of her sins.

Rembrandt is not only a world-renowned artist today; he was also famous during his time period. Many people knew of his artwork, and a great number of those people aspired to study under his brilliance. He had a home in Amsterdam where his studio was located within. For over 20 years he taught his students how to paint like him. Rembrandt had students copy his paintings, so they would learn his techniques and style.

In conclusion, Rembrandt van Rijn is an acclaimed artist. He is praised for his detailed artwork, especially those depicting the life of Jesus Christ. He brought expression to the faces of his figures – some portraying anguish, like when there was a crown of thorns thrust upon the head of Jesus, and others characterizing forgiveness, such as the painting with the adulteress. Rembrandt is also famous for using light in his artwork to send the message of the picture across to viewers. Even though Rembrandt is no longer physically present in this world, his artwork, ideas and techniques succeed him, and we are able to learn from and enjoy them to this day.