Art Review: Rembrandt's Jesus in Philadelphia is a Lesson in Tolerance

CALIFORNIA LITERARY REVIEW
By Ed Voves

Head of Christ, c. 1648-56. Attributed to Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn
and Studio, Dutch (active Leiden and Amsterdam), 1606 -1669.

PENNSYLVANIA - During the summer of 1656, the brilliant career of Rembrandt van Rijn went bust. The great Dutch artist (1606-1669) endured the humiliation of having his personal art collection and his eclectic stock of costumes and painting props inventoried for auction to pay-off his debts. Despite receiving major commissions during the 1640’s and the financial success of his print-making enterprise, including the fabled Hundred Guilder Print (1649), Rembrandt’s fortunes were headed toward rough-water around the time that he re-envisioned Jesus as a Jew. Among the many lessons that this inspirational exhibit has to teach is that creative expression is not time sensitive. The Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus exhibition is a lesson whose time has come. 'Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus' appears at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 26th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19130 (August 3, 2011 – October 30, 2011) [link]