Studying artists is more important than you might think. These free resources for studying Rembrandt will help kids learn about an artist full of self-confidence, something we can all use more of.
Studying artists and inventors has been a large part of our homeschool for the last couple of years. In a world full of followers, it is important, to me, that my kids understand that artists, creators, and inventors are people just like them.
Artists are not larger than life. They are born regular people yet they try and try again, don’t give up, and use their skill or imagination to create something new. They are in tune with their emotions and views and aren’t afraid to express how they feel.
Most artists have to brave and have to be confident enough to be told negative things about their artwork and have many people criticize them. I admire that and want my kids to glean something from that.
Rembrandt van Rijn is one of those confident artists.
He was actually well-known for his confidence. I mean, if you were to see his self-portraits you would see his confidence shining through. He did about 90 self-portraits.
Who was Rembrandt, anyway?
Rembrandt van Rijn was a 17th-century Dutch master artist. He did have a huge sense of self, yet he was born in a middle-class family in 1606.
His parents weren’t well off but worked hard and encouraged the importance of education in their son.
He attended university at only 14 years of age, yet he wasn’t very fond of academics. He later transferred to Amsterdam to study with artists Oieter Lasman and Jacob van Swanenburch.
After only six months with the second artist, Rembrandt had mastered all there was to learn.
This new artist was so good that at the age of 22, he already had his very own students – many of which became famous artists themselves.
He did go through some hardships, such as the death of his first wife and bankruptcy, yet his art improved even during the latter part of his adult life.
Rembrandt’s work:
This artist was intensely interested in the “realness” of life. That is why most of his paintings were portraits of people or portrayals of historical or mythological characters.
His portraits seem to form a sort of autobiography of himself.
He painted many pieces for nearly 50 years.
Many of his paintings were Biblically based. For instance, “Jacob Blessing the Sons of Joseph” or the “Feast of Belshazzar.”
Other Rembrandt paintings were about mythology, historical battles, and even everyday life in Holland. Although the themes had a variety of topics, his style was his very own.
He used the juxtaposition of light and shadow, some showing sharp contrast and others being incredibly vivid.
Many times he would focus on one feature in the painting then fade out or haze the rest, much like we do today by zoom auto-focusing on our cameras and blurring out the backgrounds.
The last important thing we observed from Rembrandt’s art was that he didn’t use plain, boring lines or people staring straight towards him.
He was famous for painting folks in action, or in recognizable ways with their flaws and all. Each wrinkle or expression was painted in elegant detail.
Things didn’t go too well for him in his latter days, but one thing people can say about his life is that he never gave up.
If you are learning about famous artists in your homeschool, then check out these free resources for studying Rembrandt:
FREE Artist Study and FREE Activities on Rembrandt van Rijn | Life Beyond the Lesson Plan
Rembrandt FREE Unit Study | Table Life Blog
A Story about Rembrandt van Rijn | Artmnews!
Rembrandt Biography for Kids | Jus’ Classical
Cool Rembrandt Facts for Kids | Kids.Kiddle
FREE Rembrandt van Rijn Facts & Worksheets | KidsKonnect
Rembrandt van Rijn Facts | Cool Kid Facts
Art History and Artists – Rembrandt | Ducksters
Teaching Rembrandt (Secondary Level) | National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
10 Facts About Rembrandt | Arts and Culture
Activities and projects to go alongside your lessons on the famous artist Rembrandt:
Rembrandt Art Activity for Kids | Highhill Education
Art Projects for Kids – Rembrandt | Hands-on Learning
Rembrandt Art Project for Kids: Facial Expressions | Half-a-Hundred Acre Wood
Fun Rembrandt Student Activities | Getting to Know
Rembrandt Notebooking | Homeschool Helper Online
FREE Rembrandt Picture Study Aid | A humble Place
Rembrandt for Kids – A Month of Open-Ended Hands-On Fun! | Art History Kids
FREE Printable Rembrandt Art Cards (Instant Download) | Layers of Learning
Flora by Rembrandt Coloring Page | Super Coloring
Make Block Prints . . . Like Rembrandt | Education.com
Rembrandt van Rijn Lesson Activities | Liberty Hill House
Also check out Famous People Notebook: Artists on Daily Skill Building.
Books about Rembrandt to check out at the library:
8 Children’s Books About Rembrandt Van Rijn | Table Life Blog
Videos to learn about Rembrandt for your visual learners:
Rembrandt For Kids – Famous Artists for Kids (Video) | Createful Kids
Artist REMBRANDT for KIDS | Learning with Jason
Rembrandt for Children: Art History Biography for Kids (Video) | FreeSchool
Want to study even more famous artists at home?
Grab these free resources to help you with studying any famous artist in your homeschool:
FREE Artists Notebooking Research Unit
Famous Artists FREE Cheat Sheets
How to Study Artists the Charlotte Mason Way
FREE Resources about Famous Painters and Sculptors
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Jeannette is a wife, mother and homeschooling mom. She has been mightily, saved by grace and is grateful for God’s sovereignty throughout her life’s journey. She has a Bachelor in English Education and her MBA. Jeannette is bi-lingual and currently lives in the Tongan Islands of the South Pacific. She posts daily freebies for homeschoolers!
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