Harmensz van Rijn Rembrandt 1606-1669 St. Bartholomew ca. 1657 Oil on canvas 48-3/8 x 39-1/4 in.
		Known primarily for his portraits and landscapes, Rembrandt remained interested throughout his life in history and biblical painting. The subject of this large, dramatic painting from the artist's mature period is St. Bartholomew, one of the twelve apostles. The apostle, flayed alive for his beliefs, holds in his right hand a butcher's knife, a symbol of his martyrdom. The saint's slightly unsettled pose and animated expression suggest that he is contemplating an ethical problem. Rembrandt conveys a mood of introspection in his late works--in contrast to his earlier, more theatrical pictures--and renders light, textures, and the sense of form in space with complex schemes of loose brushwork and glazes.
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