Rembrandt Building An Argumentative Essay Example For Students

Rembrandt Building An Argumentative Essay Analysis of Rembrandt Joseph Accused by Potiphars Wife The story of Joseph and Potiphars wife is told in the first book of the Bible, Genesis, chapter 39. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and bought by Potiphar, a high ranking official in the Pharaohs service. The Lord was with Joseph, and gave him success in everything he did. This pleased Potiphar and before long Joseph was given the highest position in the household, and left in charge when Potiphar was away. Now Potiphars wife found Joseph to be very good looking and had approached him several times saying come to bed with me; and Joseph being a man of God would not sin against his master or the Lord, so he refused her. One day when all the servants were gone, Joseph entered the house and Potiphars wife approached him and while holding on to his cloak said come to bed with me. Joseph refused and left the house leaving his cloak behind. Potiphar Wife screamed for help saying that Joseph had attacked and tried to sleep with her. When her husband came home she told him the same false story. Potiphar was so angry at Joseph he had him locked up in Pharaohs prison. But while Joseph was in the prison, the Lord was with him. This is the subject matter for which Rembrandt choose to do his representational painting by. The content of the painting all reveals Rembrandts interpretation of the story This is the account from the Bible of the accusation of Joseph by Potiphars Wife. Rembrandt Van Ryn chose this particular story as the subject of his narrative painting completed in 1655, under the title of Joseph Accused By Potiphars Wife. Before researching this painting, I noted my fist perception of Rembrandt work of art. I realized through that as a result of my later research, my first perception did not change, but instead were enriched and enlarged by a newfound understanding of the man and his art. I largely concentrated on my first and later perceptions in the design elements and principles of lighting or value, infinite space, color, and focal point.After conducting research, my first perceptions about the value, or relative degree of lightness or darkness, in the painting did not change, but instead I learned that Rembrandts use of light and dark was both purposeful and a technique well- known to the artists of his time. When I first observed this painting, I thought how dark everything seemed. The only exceptions to the darkness are the bed and Potiphars wife, both of which are flooded in light almost as if a spotlight were thrown on her and the bed. Some light shines on Josephs face and from behind him like a halo around his body, but this light is very dim. Potiphar in great contrast to his wife is almost in complete darkness. I first felt there should be more light from perhaps candles to cast the entire room in partial light. But after research I found that Rembrandt liked strong contrasts of light and dark and used them in his paintings all his life, letting darkness hide unnecessary details while using light to bring figures and objects out from the shadows. The high contrast of light against dark changed an ordinary scene into a dramatic one the Italian word for this use of light and dark chiaroscuro (Muhlberger 9). Rembrandt must have believed that too much detail in the room would have obscured the primary players of this scene. He uses light to brightly illuminate the most important person in this painting, Potiphars wife. In descending order of importance, Rembrandt places a glow around Joseph and casts Potiphar in a almost total darkness. Dr. Seuss Essay The bed also then another focal point since it dominates the composition while other areas are subordinate to it. Rembrandts focal points work because of the strong contrast between light and dark and because of placement of the characters in this story. Thus, through research I learned how Rembrandt achieves his focal points which my first perception initially discovered.Now without knowing the story of Joseph and Potiphars wife one could piece together the events taking place by the content in the painting. There is a large room partly lit. In the center is a bed with snow white sheets fitted perfectly, as if a maid had just finished dressing it. To the side of the bed, seated in an equally large chair, is a most troubled-looking woman. She is adorned with a lavish, bright-colored gown, and wears decorative jewelry, with her hair luxuriously woven. She points with her right hand an accusing finger at a dark maroon cloak draped on one of the bed posts. Her other hand nurses a torn lapel of an under garment, suggesting she has been in some manner violated. She looks, with a creased forehead, at a tall, dark figure to the her left, whom for the lack of lighting shimmers in an elegant uniform, his head donning a turban. He leans on the back of her chair, his hand closed, but his arm pointing in the same direction as the cloak. His other arm is on his hip directly above a sheathed sword. His overall stature and facial expression appears quizzical, as he ponders over the serious situation. The situation of course concerns the accusation his wife makes of the owner of the cloak. The lonely figure in the corner dressed in the drab olive green tunic stands silently listening to the woman, obviously the accused owner of this cloak. His maroon red sash with the keys reveals his importance to the household. Rembrandt clearly brought this scene to life convincingly(Schwartz 15). For him to have accomplished this feat, he had to give each figure an appropriate expression, pose, and costume(Schwartz 15). All this Rembrandt has done, leaving us with a tragic moment in biblical history captured beautifully in this awesome painting of Joseph accused by Potiphars wife. Work Cited Barker, Kenneth. The Holy Bible, New International Version.Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House,1995. Muhlberger, Richard. What Makes A Rembrandt A Rembrandt? NewYork: Viking, 1993. Munz, Ludwig. Rembrandt. New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc, 1984 Schwartz, Gary. First Impressiaons:Rembrandt. New York: Harry N.Abrams Inc, 1992.