The Scholar in His Study by Rembrandt

(sorry for the quality of the image, this one is hard to find a good image of online)

This monochrome etching depicts an aged man surrounded by the objects of intellectual study. His attention is lost in the supernatural light of an inscribed disk hovering in front of him. At the far right the strong forms of the globe, haphazardly-stacked books and wooden desk help vertically balance the composition by providing objects which the viewer can relate. As the focus moves toward the floating disk the viewer, like the scholar becomes awestruck by the oddity.

            The disk contains a series of letters all seemingly meaningless except for the four most central, “INRI” a known monogram of Jesus Christ.  Supernatural light emanates from the floating disk and is made even brighter as Rembrandt’s careful hand clearly differentiates this light from the natural light that pours in the intricately paned window. The veiled reference to Christ in contrast to the objects of earthly studies is evidence of Rembrandt’s desire to continue to produce works with moral meaning and religious undertone. 

            While Rembrandt excelled in the traditional medium of oil painting, The Scholar is a demonstration of the effort and pictorial effects Rembrandt discovered that distinguished him from all other etchers throughout history. Part of the greatness of Rembrandt is his ability to take a medium widely regarded throughout Europe for its graphic technique, used to produce multiple copies of simple stylized images and to achieve the same effects of chiaroscuro to in capturing specific lighting and tonal qualities employed in his paintings.