Rembrandt is better known for his paintings, but throughout his artistic career he created hundreds of prints. Often he would use the same imagery in his prints as in his paintings; like in this piece. Sometimes called “Rembrandt’s Mill” for an endearing legend about Rembrandt’s birth, The Windmill is an etched print. Rembrandt was the son of a miller. The story says he was born at this windmill on the Rhine river between Leiderdorp and Koudekerk. Despite the likely fictitious nature of this tale, this print is still noteworthy for its use of asymmetry. There are many Rembrandt prints that could be considered unfinished, but were circulated as complete by Rembrandt. The wide open spaces in his work are credited to Rembrandt’s complex understanding of light. The Windmill’s composition sits entirely to the left, leaving almost a half of the paper empty.
-Susan Bonta, Class of 2018