Portrait of Rembrandt 1771

Curator: Before us hangs a print from 1771, Georg Friedrich Schmidt's "Portrait of Rembrandt." It's a skillfully executed engraving and etching on paper. Editor: The gaze! It's so direct. He's bundled in fur and wears this elaborate hat, but the eyes... they are soft and inviting, wise and experienced. A strong image! Curator: It's intriguing, isn’t it? What you're seeing is an 18th-century artist engaging with the immense legacy of Rembrandt. Schmidt, active in both Paris and Berlin, had an interesting public role as the Prussian court's engraver. This piece demonstrates how older artists were promoted through the creation of popular print imagery. Editor: Right, it shows how enduring Rembrandt’s iconography had become. You see elements that immediately signify "Rembrandt"—the sumptuous fabrics, the self-assured gaze, the masterful evocation of light and shadow. Artists adopted this language to reference artistic genius itself. Look at the circular pendant around his neck; those accessories reinforce the artist’s status. Curator: The print also sheds light on 18th-century print culture and its role in canonizing artists like Rembrandt. Prints like this helped establish an artist's fame in ever-widening cultural circles, beyond the circles of elite collectors and patrons. These images had an important social function, shaping and influencing public opinion. Editor: Definitely. The layering of images fascinates me. Schmidt interprets Rembrandt, creating a new visual symbol. It’s cultural memory in action! It also makes one think about how self-fashioning and outward portrayals contribute to the mythologizing of famous people, and how others reinforce and perpetuate that symbolic construction of an iconic figure. Curator: Indeed. It highlights how deeply entrenched the public image of 'Rembrandt' became through the distribution of such works. It solidified perceptions and created expectations around the artist's persona for generations. Editor: It's fascinating to consider how Schmidt took on Rembrandt's persona by replicating aspects of his look while producing and circulating images of his artwork. Curator: It adds another layer, doesn't it? It speaks to the ongoing conversation between artists across time and the role of printed images in shaping that conversation for a broad audience. Editor: Precisely, the portrait transcends the likeness to become a lasting symbol. The symbolism of the "artist as genius" feels palpable, even today.