Young Rembrandt: A Biography

by Onno Blom

Book Overview

Rembrandt van Rijn's early years are as famously shrouded in mystery as Shakespeare's, and his life has always been an enigma. How did a miller's son from a provincial Dutch town become the greatest artist of his age? How in short, did Rembrandt become Rembrandt?

Seeking the roots of Rembrandt's genius, the celebrated Dutch writer Onno Blom immersed himself in Leiden, the city in which Rembrandt was born in 1606 and where he spent his first...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393531791
• ISBN13: 9780393531794
• Release Date: September 2020
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Something Missing...

Reading this book was like attending a social gathering where the setting is wonderful, but the host is missing. In "Young Rembrandt" we learn all there is to know about Leiden, his city of birth. But since little is known about Rembrandt's early life, there is a large void in the center of it all. A feeling of great sadness overwhelmed me when reading the book, as the focal point of the story is literally not there. Yes, we are given glimpses of Rembrandt's presence, but again, it's like reading about a wispy essence, rather than a real person. It is obvious the author did a great deal of research about the history of Leiden and it's inhabitants, and that aspect is admirable. I simply feel it didn't add up to a fulfilling story. It's ironic, for Rembrandt - in his later years - is one of the strongest and most compelling characters in art history.