Biography for Rembrandt

Employment

He left the University of Leiden at the age of twenty five to concentrate on painting and once he became an established painter he began to teach art which he continued to do throughout his life. In 1631 when his Leiden studio was flourishing he moved to Amsterdam where he met his wealthy wife Saskia van Uylenburgh.He became Holland's leading portrait painter whilst also gaining recognition for his landscapes, his works of this time are characterised by their strong use of light. Aside from his paintings Rembrandt was one of the finest etchers who ever lived and in the 1630s and 1640s he made a great number of landscape drawings and etchings. By 1642 his wife and three of his four children had died and despite being left a considerable fortune, the 1650s saw his popularity waning and he was living far beyond his means. His mistress and son arranged for him to become a formal employee of their art-dealing firm and during this time he painted his last great masterpieces before his death in 1669.