Rembrandt Van Rijn was a well-known artist from the Baroque period who is known for his paintings of human subjects with deep contrast between dark and light. At first glance, Rembrandt’s portrayal of “Lucretia” may appear to be a morbid, grotesque and disturbing representation of suicide and the last moments of life. But, upon a further inspection of the piece, there is much more that can be learned about the history of the artist and the painting that makes “Lucretia” much more than a portrait of death. Painted late in his life when splendor and outward details no longer mattered to him, Rembrandt chose to focus on the psychological drama rather than the excitement of the story taking place. He uses sharp contrasts between light and dark to give a focal point to the piece and create intense emotion. “Lucretia” is not only the portrait of the pain of a legendary character, but the pain expressed in the painting also expresses the pain of both the painter and the viewer. Learning to appreciate the story behind the painting and the technique used to elicit emotion from the viewer gives a whole new dimension to the piece.
According to legend, Lucretia was a noblewoman in ancient Rome who was married to a general. She was known and loved across the entire Roman Empire for both her surpassing beauty and her virtue. Her husband was called to war and Lucretia was left behind to take care of the affairs at home. While Lucretia’s husband was gone, the son of the king of Rome came to see her. While he was at Lucretia’s house, the prince threatened and raped Lucretia. In Roman tradition, Lucretia’s rape brought dishonor and shame not only to her, but also to her family. Rather than allow her family to have to deal with the humiliation caused by the crime performed against her, Lucretia chose to commit suicide and spare the dishonor that Roman society would have inflicted on her family.
Lucretia has been portrayed numerous times in art and literature throughout history. Judith Akehurst, an expert on feminist history and Baroque painting observed the impact of Lucretia on art and culture; “The combination of death, sex and vindication made Lucretia an attractive symbol of feminine virtue and liberty for theologians and writers from St. Augustine to Chaucer and Shakespeare.” She was a very popular subject of art in the Renaissance, and was most commonly characterized as a nude woman plunging a dagger into her voluptuous breasts and staring helplessly into the sky.
Rembrandt draws Lucretia as a totally different character. She is fully dressed in clothing reminiscent of the wealthy women in the Baroque period. Instead of being interpreted by Rembrandt as a helpless (and somewhat brainless) woman, Lucretia is portrayed as strong and collected. Her dark, mournful eyes contrast the pale face that seems to already carry the raiment of death. The look on Lucretia’s face represents the epitome of sadness. Her eyes are filled with tears, and her white dress is stained with the blood from her mortal wound. Lucretia’s white dress symbolizes the purity that has been destroyed forever by the prince’s attack on her. Lucretia’s hand grips a chord that has been theorized to represent many things. One possible theory is that the chord is a call to the servants for help. Possibly Lucretia has changed her mind an instant too late, or she has chosen to die in the company of those that she loves. Another theory is that Lucretia is holding a chord connected to a curtain that closes on her life as it ends.
Rembrandt’s use of color in contrasts of light and dark creates a stunning focus for the piece. Lucretia is bathed in a light that seems to touch only her and creates deep shadows on her face betraying the sorrow and exhaustion that she is feeling. Her hair seems to blend into the dark background, with her intricately beaded hairpiece reflecting the light falling on her. Her dress is composed of gold and white cloth, and the red stain from her self-inflicted wound contrasts the pure white robe. The blade of the knife glistens in her hand as she awaits her death.
Rembrandt painted this version of “Lucretia” at a very low point in his life. The woman he had loved for more than 15 years had died after being branded as a whore and excommunicated from the church and the business of art they had created together had fallen apart. His health was declining, and he found himself having to face his financial problems alone. To express his feelings of agony over the loss of so many things that were so special to him, Rembrandt created “Lucretia” as both an outlet and a vessel for his pain. Lucretia’s expression of pain is so universal and so deeply moving that even without knowing the background of the painting, the viewer is drawn in to Lucretia’s suffering and forced to face her pain.
“The glory of the [Minneapolis] Institute’s [Lucretia] painting is that it’s so incredibly personal. She is a real person and you are given a very personal view of someone at a very important moment in her life.” (Judith Akehurst) The idea of facing pain is what makes “Lucretia” such a disturbing painting. The image of someone so close to death and in such agony makes the viewer of the piece incredibly uncomfortable. The intense emotion in “Lucretia” is what makes her portrait so incredibly stunning. Rembrandt’s portrayal of human emotion crosses the boundaries of culture and time, and can touch someone looking at the piece more than 330 years after it was created. Even though the content of “Lucretia” is disturbing because of its stark color contrasts and morose subject matter, the fact that it can move people to such deep reactions hundreds of years later makes the work a masterpiece of expressionism and human emotion.
Copyright (C) 2007 S.L. Olson
