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24/3/2004

Rembrandt

Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich

The Sacrifice of Isaac
An exhibition in the Alte Pinakothek

In January 1992 the bringing together of both versions of Rembrandt's 'Sacrifice of Isaac' was celebrated as an 'important art historical moment'. For the first time in more than 350 years, the painting dated 1635 and belonging to the State Hermitage Museum St. Petersburg and the version belonging to the Alte Pinakothek Munich, which was completed one year later, were shown side by side in Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum. This 1992 presentation however lasted only a few hours and was only open for the Rembrandt specialists attending an conference of expert. Starting March 26, 2004, Rembrandt experts and art fans alike will be afforded the extraordinary and long-awaited opportunity for a comparative examination of both masterpieces side-by-side – undoubtedly the last chance for a long time to come.

'Rembrandt. verandert. En overgeschildert. 1636.' [Rembrandt altered and painted over (it) in the year 1636]. This unique verbatim inscription on the lower edge of the Munich painting has been of particular interest to Rembrandt experts since its rediscovery in the late 19th century. Even today, the 'Sacrifice of Isaac' in the Alte Pinakothek is a key work and decisive touchstone for connoisseurship relating to Rembrandt's oeuvre. The interpretations of the inscription are controversial and the resulting individual assessments of the painting highly varied as well. What and just how extensive is Rembrandt's participation, what did the Master 'change' and what did he 'over paint'? The answer to this decisive question has always been and remains to be of central importance:

With the first version in the Hermitage, undoubtedly from Rembrandt's own hand, the artist took up for the first time the moving Old Testament story of the patriarch Abraham who God commanded to sacrifice Isaac, his only son. For the climax of the scene, Rembrandt opted to show, through a brilliant composition, the moment when the angel prevents the son's sacrifice in the last minute: The three personages are closely woven together and shown life-sized, filling the painting's surface in a shallow foreground plane; Abraham's brutal grip, the resolute angel and the falling knife all combine to heighten the drama and reality of the moment. With this composition Rembrandt has rendered one of his 'baroque' narratives stemming from the 1630's, works which were seemingly in direct competition with other contemporary art works, most especially however with those of the much esteemed Peter Paul Rubens.

The Munich version of the painting, which was begun a short time later, was not only based on the one in St. Petersburg, it was originally intended to be an exact copy of it; this was ascertained for the first time prior to the exhibition through an infrared reflectography examination that made visible the original position of the angel as it was intended in the first version.

In studio operations of the 17th century it was not unusual that students copied the master's works for instructional as well as commercial purposes. In the case of the Munich painting however Rembrandt intervened in this process, making considerable changes with regard to the first version. A roughly sketched chalk drawing from London's British Museum, also on view during the exhibition, bears witness to this alteration, which is primarily concentrated on the angel, who is emerging out of the clouds. This modification was undoubtedly a gain for the work, rendering the turning point of the action even more striking: The angel no longer approaches Abraham from the side, but from behind – the patriarch's surprise is thusly all the more reinforced.

The intellectual authorship, the 'inventio', for the new conception of 'Isaac's Sacrifice' in the Munich painting is thereby firmly attributable to Rembrandt. The physical execution conversely is, for the most part, ascribable to another hand. The extremely high quality of the painting technique gives rise to look among the most important of the master's students; Ferdinand Bol and Govaert Flinck, two of Rembrandt's most productive students in the 1630's, have been regularly singled out; however an attribution to the one or the other painter cannot be securely made. Although a sure and lively, relaxed style can be detected, which is oriented towards Rembrandt's effective 'rough manner' of around 1635, occasional weaknesses do reveal themselves – especially in direct comparison with the Petersburg version – more in the sketched rather than the painted detail.

The hoary head, whose features express at once disgust and lack of understanding, takes on through the strong brush strokes, in comparison to its predecessor in St. Petersburg, an even stronger expressiveness. Other figures, for example the lesser articulated countenance of the angel as well as the flatly sketchy ram, are not quite as persuasive.

Rembrandt himself carried out in the end – according to the inscription – several instances of repainting – just how extensive is still at present hard to determine; nevertheless there is cause to believe that several accentuating brush strokes can be discerned in the wing area, in the angel's hair and on Isaac's loincloth.

With the ca. eight etchings and engravings from Rembrandt and his contemporary Jan Lievens, the supplemented presentation provides a unique and unusual opportunity – in direct comparison with the two painted versions of 'The Sacrifice of Isaac', as it were a ‘school of observing' – to track down the genius Rembrandt and, with regard to the painting belonging to the Alte Pinakothek, to draw one's own conclusions.

A 96 page publication will be available concurrently to the exhibition containing approximately 45 illustrations and with texts from Marcus Dekiert and Reinhold Baumstark.

Curator of the exhibition: Marcus Dekiert

Press preview: March 25, 2004, 12:30 pm

Opening: March 25, 2004, 06:30 pm

Duration: March 26 – June 27, 2004

Image: The Sacrifice of Isaac, 1636 Alte Pinakothek, München

Location:
Alte Pinakothek, Saal 9
Pinakothek Museums
Barer Straße 29
D-80799 Munich
Telephone: +49 (0)89 23805-118
Fax +49 (0)89.23805-125

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