It looks hastily composed, but a certain amount of forethought must have preceded its creation because the image blends allegorical motifs with contemporary representations, and it demonstrates a familiarity with traditional visual and literary themes of art criticism.įirst, it is necessary to identify the figures and to clarify their actions. It is unlikely to have been intended as a preparatory study for a painting, since Rembrandt rarely employed such allegorical imagery in paint, although a print may have been envisioned. Without dwelling on the sheet’s attribution to Rembrandt, which has been unanimously supported in recent literature, it may be said that the peculiarities of the handling can perhaps be ascribed to the unusual circumstances that brought it into being.
#American journal review satire full#
3 While a full explanation of this unusual allegory and its context may still be elusive, and a complete consideration of the nuanced landscape of reception and criticism that surrounded Rembrandt is beyond the scope of this article, a proposal is presented here that the drawing was indeed stimulated by a specific criticism directed at the artist. 2 Several scholars, including Jakob Rosenberg, Jan Emmens, and Ernst van de Wetering, have seen the sketch as a personal polemic made in response to criticism, but as yet no idea has adequately elucidated the circumstances that lie behind this apparently acrimonious drawing. 1 It is no wonder, since the state of finish is rudimentary and the scratchy annotations that might clarify the artist’s intentions defy transcription. 1) in the Robert Lehman Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art has yet to receive a satisfactory explanation. Rembrandt’s motivation for creating his puzzling sketch A Satire on Art Criticism ( fig. 1975.1.799 (artwork in the public domain)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Robert Lehman Collection, New York, inv. 1 Rembrandt, A Satire on Art Criticism, 1644, pen and brown ink, corrected with white that has oxidized, 15.5 x 20.1 cm.
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