All students have some experience with portraits—from having their school picture taken each year to drawing or painting pictures of family members. Portraits may be made for various reasons. An artist may choose to paint, sculpt, draw, or photograph a particular person, or someone may hire, or commission, an artist to create his or her portrait. When an artist chooses to use himself or herself as the subject, the picture is called a self-portrait.

Every portrait tells its viewers something about its subject—through the person’s facial expression and pose, through the clothing the subject wears, through the objects he or she holds, and through the surrounding setting.

Discovery Questions
Have students approach the painted portrait as if meeting a stranger for the first time. Ask them to discuss what they can know about a person from looking at his or her portrait by using questions such as these:
• Describe the person you see in this portrait.
• What do you think he would be like? Explain why you think that.

As students examine the face in this portrait, ask them to discuss the qualities of his features—his eyes and mouth in particular.
• How would you describe the expression on this man’s face?
• Would you want to know him? Why or why not?

Students may not know that Rembrandt wore a costume for this portrait. Nevertheless, his clothing conveys a message about who he is or would like to be.
• What might Rembrandt have liked about the way he looks in this self-portrait?
• How do you think he feels about himself? What gives you that impression?

The background in this portrait contributes to our impression of this person. Help students discover how.
• Describe the light in this portrait.
• In what way does it affect the mood of this painting?

Background Information
Rembrandt (1606–1669) painted this portrait of himself in Leiden (in the country of the Dutch Republic, called Holland today) when he was only twenty-three years old. He was not yet famous or wealthy, but it is said that his aspirations were high, and perhaps he painted this self-portrait to generate public interest in his work. When he moved to Amsterdam two years later, he quickly became the leading portrait painter for the well-to-do.

During his lifetime Rembrandt created more than one hundred pictures of himself. Often Rembrandt would wear costumes—dressing up as a nobleman, a soldier in armor, or a beggar. These paintings, drawings, and etchings reveal his intense study of the human face and the emotions expressed on it. Rembrandt’s many self-portraits became a record of his life and career as an artist.

In this portrait, Rembrandt uses a striking contrast of light and shadow to highlight certain areas of the painting. This technique is called chiaroscuro. In Italian, this literally translates as “light-dark.” Through the dramatic use of light and dark, and through his intense scrutiny of human facial expressions, Rembrandt filled his paintings with emotion.