"Rembrandt 400" offers an embarrassment of riches, but for many art lovers the crown jewel is "Rembrandt - Caravaggio." It spotlights the two geniuses of baroque painting, both masters of chiaroscuro (the technique of using light and shade in a work of art). Caravaggio was 35 years older than Rembrandt, and died when Rembrandt was 4, but his work had a profound impact. To make that point, the exhibition gathered over 25 monumental paintings from international museums and dramatically pairs them side by side.
Heartbroken, he could barely work for years. The commissions dried up but Rembrandt, an avid collector, kept buying books, coins and collectibles. By 1656 he had to declare bankruptcy. The official inventory of his furniture, works of art and collectibles became the blueprint for what is now the Rembrandt House Museum. Completed in 1999, it virtually restores the interior to its 17th century days. In the large, light-flooded, third-floor studio, for instance, Rembrandt's easel, paints and palette are exactly where he used them, according to one of his own drawings. Shelves hold a skull, statues, weapons and armor he used as models. Paintings, gathered from museums and private owners around the world, again hang where the artist originally placed them. Etchings from the museum's all-inclusive collection are on display on the fourth floor where his students worked.
Rembrandt House is the starting point for a fascinating walk through the Amsterdam that Rembrandt knew: the wide canals and narrow alleys, the churches and distinctive facades, much of it not too different from today. The route, descriptions and historical information are in an excellent booklet, "Discover Amsterdam in Rembrandt's Time," available at Amsterdam Tourist Offices. You'll get a sense of the Golden Age of the Netherlands, when Amsterdam was the third-largest city in Europe, after London and Paris, and becoming the richest city in the world.
The route goes across three picturesque canals that ring the city center to Westerkerk, where Rembrandt, who died in 1669, is buried in an unidentified pauper's grave, as are Titus and his last housekeeper-mistress, Hendrickje, who both preceded him. This year enormous replicas of "The Night Watch" and "Self Portrait as Apostle Paul" decorate the exterior of the church.
The walk ends at Rembrandtplein and an open-air statue of "The Night Watch." Few visitors can resist standing among the figures of the 17th century militiamen for a photo-op souvenir.
IF YOU GO
Getting there: KLM/Northwest Airlines flies nonstop to Amsterdam from a number of cities and connects with dozens of others via Northwest; (800) 447-4747, www.nwa.com.
Getting around: The I Amsterdam Card gives you free entry to the city buses, trams and metro; free admission to virtually all the museums, a canal boat tour, and a book of vouchers for 25 percent discounts at many restaurants and attractions. Buy it at an Amsterdam Tourist Office or online at www.amsterdam.info/pass. It costs $40 for 24 hours, $52 for 48 hours and $64 for 72 hours.
Useful information: Amsterdam Tourist Offices are at Schiphol Airport, at Amsterdam's Central Station and at Leidseplein in city center.
Rembrandt 400, www.rembrandt400.com.
Tickets for "Rembrandt-Caravaggio" can be purchased online at www.rembrandt-caravaggio.nl.
For more information, contact the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions, (212) 370-7360, www.holland.com.
Where to stay: Hotel de l'Europe, Nieuwe Doelenstraat 2, (800) 745-8883 (Leading Hotels of the World), www.leurope.nl; doubles from $443.
Sofitel Amsterdam, Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 67, 800-SOFITEL, www.accorhotels.com; doubles from $298.
Ambassade Hotel, Herengracht 335, www.ambassade-hotel.nl, 011-31-20-555-0222. Ten 17th century houses on a lovely canal; doubles from $237.
Where to eat: D'Vijffh Vlieghen (The Five Flies), Spuistraat 294, 020-530 4060; a famous restaurant with a Golden Age ambience in its 17th century rooms; entrees from $25.
Het Tuynhuys, Reguliersdwarsstraat 28, 020 627 6603, a stylish restaurant with garden in an old coach house; entrees from $27.
Cafe Bern, Nieuwmarkt 9, 020-622 0034, a cozy brown bar for Holland's national dish, cheese fondue; entrees from $11.
Sama Sebo, PC Hooftstraat 27, 020-662 8146, a typical 16-dish "rice table" is $30 at this well-known Indonesian restaurant.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
In Amsterdam:
Jan. 2 - Dec. 31, 2006, Rijksmuseum, "The Masterpieces." Highlights from Holland's 17th century Golden Age in the museum's collection, Frans Hals and Johannes Vermeer as well as Rembrandt.
Feb. 24 - June 18, 2006, Van Gogh Museum. "Rembrandt - Caravaggio," an unprecedented exhibit of the two 17th century masters side by side.
March 9 - May 24, 2006, Rijksmuseum. "Really Rembrandt?" The museum's Rembrandts of now-doubtful authenticity.
April 1 - July 2, 2006, The Rembrandt House Museum, "Rembrandt, The Quest of a Genius" explores his creative process through over 100 paintings, drawings and etchings.
May 12 - Aug. 13, 2006, Amsterdam Historical Museum. "Pure Rembrandt," a collection of drawings and etchings, plus the famous painting "The Anatomy Lesson."
June 2 - Aug. 6, Rijksmuseum. "Nightwatching by Peter Greenaway," a sound and image installation about Rembrandt's most famous painting, "The Night Watch."
July 8 - Sept. 3, 2006, The Rembrandt House Museum. "Rembrandt, the Etcher."
July 15 - February 2007, Royal Carre Theatre. "Rembrandt The Musical."
Aug. 11 - Oct. 11, 2006, Rijksmuseum. "All the Drawings, Part I: The Storyteller."
Sept. 14 - Dec. 10, 2006, The Rembrandt House Museum. "Uylenburg & Son. Art and Commerce in Rembrandt's Time," the story of Rembrandt's art dealer.
Sept. 15 - Dec. 10, 2006, Biblical Museum. "Rembrandt and the Bible, The Complete Etchings."
Oct. 14 - Dec. 31, 2006, Rijksmuseum. "All the Drawings, Part II: The Observer."
Oct. 15 - Dec. 31, 2006, Amsterdam Archive Council. "Rembrandt's Documents."
Nov. 10 - Feb. 4, 2007, Jewish Historical Museum. "The 'Jewish' Rembrandt."
Throughout 2006, Rembrandt House Museum. "Rembrandt at Home."
In Leiden:
Dec. 16 - March 19, 2006, Municipal Museum De Lakenhal. "Rembrandt's Mother, Myth and Reality" explores the mystery around the old woman Rembrandt painted who may, or may not, have been his mother.
April 13 - Sept. 3, 2006, Municipal Museum De Lakenhal. "Rembrandt, the Narrator." All of Rembrandt's etchings, from everyday scenes to biblical and mythological narratives.
July 14-16, 2006, A live "Night Watch" will guard the city and for three days Leiden will time-travel back to the 17th century.
Oct. 6, 2006 - Jan. 7, 2007, Municipal Museum De Lakenhal. "Rembrandt's Landscapes" in etchings and drawings.
"City Walk, In the Footsteps of the Young Rembrandt," a self-guided Leiden walking-tour booklet, is available at the Rembrandt Visitors Centre next to Municipal Museum De Lakenhal.
In The Hague:
June 26 - Sept. 18, 2006, Mauritshuis. "A Summer Full of Rembrandts." The museum's collection.
Joan Scobey is a freelance travel writer.
© Copley News Service
