Portret van Rembrandt van Rijn 1843

Joseph Schubert made this print of Rembrandt van Rijn in the Netherlands in the 19th century. What are we to make of this reproduction? The original Rembrandt was, of course, one of the most celebrated painters of the Dutch Golden Age, an era of unprecedented economic and cultural growth. The institutions of art, like the guilds and the academies, played a crucial role in shaping artistic production, establishing standards, and fostering patronage. Yet, here is a later artist, Schubert, copying a past master. By the 19th century, museums and art schools were also well-established, and they played a large part in shaping the canon of great artists. This image is a celebration of Rembrandt and his artistic genius. The print serves as a reminder of the power of these institutions to shape our understanding and appreciation of art history, as well as how artistic traditions are passed on and reinterpreted across generations. To understand this image better, we can delve into the art criticism of the time and investigate the cultural forces that shaped the reception of Dutch Golden Age painting. We will discover how institutions shape our understanding of art.