Rembrandt van Rijn, "The Storm on the Lake of Galilee"


    We are going back to 1633 for this week's painting.  Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) was at the height of his career when he completed, "The Storm on the Lake of Galilee.  It is considered an historical, religious work depicting Christ and his disciples on the boat in the storm as told in the Bible's book of Mark.  
   Other than portrait painting, Rembrandt did many images of Bible stories. By now he was at the top of his game, and known throughout Europe  as a great painter and story teller. 

   Biblical subjects were popular for many artists and it is known that Rembrandt did see similar works on this particular subject.  Yet here, we see a true master at work.  The general composition of the triangular ship/sail is not unusual, and may have been lifted from others.  But it is the light on that turbulent sea, boat and people.  We can almost feel the wind as it blows up the sea, tearing the sail.  Our right side is reasonably dark, the left ablaze with this burst of sun, illuminating faces, waves and sail.  Take a close look at the disciples on our right, grouped around Christ.  One is bent overboard being sick and one writer believes the man in blue, looking straight at us, is Rembrandt, himself.
     "The Storm on the Lake of Galilee" measures 62 .9inches high and 50.3 inches in width.   It is an oil on canvas.  Isabella Stewart Gardner (1840-1924)  purchased the painting in 1898 and later,  it was installed in the museum bearing her name, in Boston.   On March 18, 1990 this painting was one of 13 stolen from the museum and it has never been recovered.   Its whereabout are unknown.   It is Rembrandt's only seascape.   It is very sad that the world has lost this masterpiece.      

Comments

  1. Char HarguthSeptember 8, 2021 at 7:27 AM

    At first, I thought this was a Turner painting, but the people soon gave it a different narrative. Another amazing composition. It arouses many emotions - fear, strength, faith and courage. The strong color contrasts highlight their dangerous situation. I like "water" paintings, and Rembrandt's storm painting is new to me. Such a versatile artist. To paint such turbulent water would require a lot of observation. This painting is exceptional.

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