Lecture Notes: Rembrandt's "Bathsheba" at the Louvre

Introduction

• Location: Louvre Museum
• Artwork: Rembrandt's "Bathsheba"
• Description: Large, almost square canvas; life-sized nude depiction.

Subject and Story

• Biblical Context:
  • From the Old Testament.
  • King David sees Bathsheba bathing and is captivated by her beauty.
  • Initiates an adulterous affair despite her being the wife of Uriah, a general.
  • Tragic consequences: Uriah is sent to die in battle; the child from the affair is stillborn; Bathsheba becomes an outcast.
• Emotional Depiction:
  • The painting captures the first step in a tragedy, visible in Bathsheba's expression.

Artistic Analysis

• Focus on Psychology:
  • Emphasis on contemplation, sadness, and the allure of the illicit.
  • Bathsheba's emotional state is central to the painting: contemplation of her future, acknowledgment of impending sin.
• Expression and Composition:
  • Her downward gaze and the tilt of her head convey foreboding.
  • Vulnerability and softness in her facial expression, with relaxed muscles.

Use of Color and Light

• Color Palette:
  • Dark background, typical of Rembrandt and the Baroque style.
  • Warm colors: golds, yellows, reds, oranges—almost Venetian.
• Proximity and Space:
  • Bathsheba is positioned very close to the viewer.
  • Minimal background, slight suggestion of a bed, and a servant attending her feet.

Technique and Brushwork

• Brushwork:
  • Evident in the white sheet—playful and energetic.
• Rendering of Flesh:
  • Subtle tones: whites, pinks, greens, warm against cool.
  • Tender rendering of her skeletal structure and flesh.

Model and Realism

• Model:
  • Based on Rembrandt's companion, Hendrikje.
• Realism vs. Idealism:
  • Bathsheba is not an idealized classical nude; she's depicted as a real person.
  • Reflects Baroque interest in realism, although with some Orientalized distance.
  • Despite the biblical setting, the portrayal retains a sense of reality.