Young Rembrandt in his classroom, a photo from Zuid Holland, Zuid

Photographer's Note

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was born on July 15, 1606 in Leiden, the Netherlands. He was the ninth child born to Harmen Gerritsz van Rijn and Neeltgen Willemsdr van Zuytbrouck. His family was quite well-to-do; his father was a miller and his mother was a baker's daughter, and in the early 17th century millers in Holland were members of the middle class. Being the youngest son of this prosperous family, his parents wanted him to have a university education and initially sent him to the Latin School in Lokhorststraat. The pupils of this school were taught in Latin, all exams were taken in Latin and they were supposed to communicate only in Latin. At the age of 14 Rembrandt was enrolled at the University of Leiden, although according to a contemporary he had a greater inclination towards painting...

###

2006 was the official year of Rembrandt in the Netherlands, marking 400 years from his birthday. Numerous exhibitions have been held all over the country. In particular, in Leiden, where Rembrandt was born, there was a great deal of restoration activity. Although the house where he was born has been, quite silly, demolished in the 1970s, the Latin School survived, and in 2005 the ground floor of this historical building of 16C has been restored to show, through the window, the typical classroom of the beginning of 17C, with the doll of young Rembrandt sitting at a desk and the shadow of the teacher in the background.

I have taken the shot through the window glass, so you can also see the reflection of the pavement and the house windows at the opposite side of the narrow street, which IMO puts the shot in a "wider" local context. 1/8 sec, handheld. In the WS you can see the "normal" view of this classroom.

Standa, Budapestman, Floydian, pastadog, Cretense, ChrisJ, MayaG, Elaine_Blath, carper, josepmarin, pboehringer heeft deze opmerking als nuttig gemarkeerd

Critiques | Translate

aadilj (18102) 2008-02-12 1:48

I love the juxtaposition of the reflections in this one which is sweetly timed and composed. great moment.

Standa (1877) 2008-02-12 2:07

Hi Alexander,
smart taken shot with real Rembrandt´s light and composition :)
Good idea and informative note.
Regards,
Stanislav

barrufeto_77 (28888) 2008-02-12 2:23

Hi Alexander.

A really complicated picture to take with that reflection but you solve it lovely.

Nice shadow of the man drawing too!

Well done!

temmel (2496) 2008-02-12 2:49

Hello Alexander,
wow, I love such reflections!
The reflections work very well & even create another world!
very well composed!
Best wishes from Hungary,
Linda

Budapestman (82620) 2008-02-12 3:17

Hi Alexander,
Great impression with spectacular and particular reflection, I like the attractive details and the effective composition. Splendid idea and realization, Great! Have a nice day
George

Graal (103040) 2008-02-12 6:17

Hi Alexander,
amazing reflections and view, good idea and fine effect. I like it. Well quality.
Gr., Aleksander

Floydian (30970) 2008-02-12 7:31

Hallo Alexander,
Een zeer creatieve foto. Iets wat ik nooit en te nimmer zou zien, laat staan er een foto van nemen, maar juist daarom erg leuk om dit van anderen wel te zien.
Mooie setting met die reflectie van het raam er nog in.
Groet, Henk

gilou530 (34) 2008-02-12 9:45

salut alex
un beau mélange de couleurs de reflets de meuble de fenêtre, dans une belle lumiére et netteté, agréable a regarder
amitiés
gilbert

pastadog (13111) 2008-02-12 11:33

I believe that the result is fantastic, Alexander... very dreamy, I esp. like the light on the left... and that intriguing shadow up there... Well done! Daniel

Cretense (68709) 2008-02-13 4:43

Hi Alexander!

What an amazing theme, what an amazing picture! Fantastic portrait of a young artist, Excellent framing and composition, beautiful colours and above all an amazing play with the reflections! outstanding photo!

Hercules

ChrisJ (172430) 2008-02-13 7:32

Hi Alexander

A nice abstract shot with a superb colour contrast between the yellow & blue. Excellent diffused light with good sharpness. Tfs!

Gerrit (62042) 2008-02-13 14:04

Hi Aleksander,
interesting collage of old inside and contemporary (real dutch) outside elements,
regards, Gerrit

MayaG (2415) 2008-02-13 14:28

Alexander,

I absolutely love this photo! Its nice that your polarizer allowed some reflections. The boys hair is simply precious, and that shadow above him...bravo for this one. I love the one in the WS too, pitty its small, the light is wonderful. I never do workshops, but I had to see this one B&W, and will add it. It just inspired me!

[workshop] [compare] +

Elaine_Blath (8471) 2008-02-13 22:58

Hi Aleksi,

this is an amazing shot! looks so dreamy and I definitely like the reflection touch to it...well done!

Take care, Ivana

josepmarin (59385) 2008-02-14 0:45

Hi Alexander,
Good composition with a strong graphical effect thanks to the excellent game with the transparencies and the reflections in the glass.
I like this combination of image behind the glass and the details of the pavement and the houses of the street, which are reflected finely and with a bit of abstract touch.
A very clever work, with good setting, great light and good colors. An excellent note, too.
Best regards,
Josep

carper (96) 2008-02-14 1:46

heel ongebuikelijke foto Alexander,
zeer fraai gezien, mooie reflectie, goede scherpte en bijzonder om naar te kijken.
zeer fraai fotowerk. prettige dag.
groet Jaap

meltemi (0) 2008-02-16 23:41

Hello Alexander,
very interesting this superposition of images, the little boy looks more like an ethereal being from another time. A very fine and artist photo giving us these reflections - thanks for this and the note to give us his history as well.
Kind Regards.
Stella

qengji (376) 2008-02-17 14:00

the reflection of the back windows are great. I think it added value to the photo. The composition and the note is also good. TFS

keribar (43841) 2008-02-18 8:54

Hello Alexander,
Very interesting picture you bring us here. The text is also excellent. Many thanks - Izzet

marietom (34611) 2008-02-19 1:52

Hello Aleksander,

Superbe transparence, ici, pour nous montrer ce petit bout de chou très concentré sur son travail.
Bien vu, bravo !
Marie

pboehringer (770) 2008-02-20 7:15

Alexander,
a composition that is certainly at the level of a modern Rembrandt. I love the simplicity and at the same time the complexicity of this shot. Well seen and executed.
Great shot!
Peter