The group met at 11am this morning to visit the home of Rembrandt, the famous Dutch artist. Many of his works line the walls there, though not all of them are his. Rembrandt frequently collected works by other artists and would sell them to guests in his personal, in-home gallery. The rooms are large and the fixtures ornate, which tells me that Rembrandt was no "starving artist". The highlight of the visit was a young woman giving an informative demonstration on Rembrandt's style of painting along with a bit of a history lesson. From her discussion, I learned several things: female cactus lice secrete acid when threatened. This acid gets caught on their shells which were harvested and used to yield a gorgeous red color for paint. This is also the same red dye used in food coloring! The most expensive color, in Rembrandt's day, was an azure blue that had to be imported from Afghanistan. The color vermilion is yielded from the combination of mercury and sulfur. Dangerous!
A color referred to as "lead white" was not just for paint but for ladies' makeup as well! In those days, the lead was oxidized into white by placing a rolled coil of lead in a pot, pouring some acidic liquid in it (sometimes urine), placing horse droppings as a lid, and then heating the contents. Rembrandt himself was a teacher in addition to being a working artist. Students frequented the studios and galleries in his home. In fact, it was normal for Rembrandt to select exceptional works from his students, sign his name on them and then sell them as original Rembrandts!
Dead models could be used to study the human anatomy for more accurate artists' sketches. Linseed oil paints were Rembrandt's weapon of choice, so to speak. Some examples of tools he might've used to dry his paints were egg yolk, cobalt, or hardened tree sap.
After our visit, we adjourned to Saturnino for a final group lunch. I had a mixed green salad and lasagna bolognese. Delicious, but not quite like Mom's!
Since about 3 this afternoon, I've been packing, tidying up and getting prepared for an early morning departure tomorrow. I think most of the group, if not everyone, is meeting at Kriterion soon for one final hurrah, so I'm looking forward to that. It's been such an incredible, insightful three weeks that I practically feel like a local here! Goodbyes aren't easy, but I'm thrilled to return stateside tomorrow afternoon.
