WUFT News News and Public Media for North Central Florida from the University of Florida in Gainesville
The Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida opened an exhibit that features the innovative work of Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn.
The exhibit, which was transported from the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, New Hampshire, highlights the work of Rembrandt and his skills used to create intricate etchings.
Rembrandt’s success as a printmaker helped elevate the art of etching to the same status as painting and sculpting, said Dulce Roman, the curator of Modern Art at the Harn Museum.
Etching is much closer to the act of drawing than engraving is, Roman said. In etching, the artist draws with a very sharp needle onto a copper plate covered in wax.
There are more than 70 of Rembrandt’s prints on display, as well as other pieces from more than 30 different artists.
“One of my favorite works in the exhibition is his print on Diana at the bath,” Roman said. “Here is this mythological goddess Diana, and instead of showing her as a perfect, beautiful, female specimen, he has presented a woman who could be an everyday woman of his time.”
Roman recommends borrowing a magnifying glass from the museum’s study center to look closely at all the details.
“I think people are going to be completely blown away by how intricate each one of these prints is,” she said.
Admission to the exhibit is free and will remain open until April 28.
Rebekah Geier wrote this story online.
