The Omval, Rembrandt van Rijn, etching and drypoint, roughly 7 x 9 inches (19×23 cm); this printing is within the assortment of the Metropolitan museum of Artwork, which has each a zoomable and downloadable model of the picture.
Rembrandt was, in my view, the best grasp of etching and drypoint in historical past. Although lots of his etchings have been of a spiritual nature, right here he has enjoyable with a naturalistic riverfront scene.
The Omval is the title for a well known spot alongside the Amstel River. An excellent tree dominates the scene; behind it we see sailboats and what seems to be a passenger ferry on the water. Throughout the river, we see components of a city and a mill.
A person stands on the shore, dealing with away from us and towards the ferry, maybe in dialog with somebody on it.
What we don’t see at first are a pair of lovers that Rembrandt has nestled within the shadows of the nice tree (pictures above, second from high).
The lady is dealing with to the left, her hand rests on her gown. The man sits behind her, to the left. It seems as if he has his arm raised above the lady’s head, his sleeve obscuring his personal face.
Rembrandt has left a lot to the creativeness, each visually and in doable implied narrative. We’re left to marvel if there’s a relation between the lovers and the person on the shore, or maybe somebody on the ferry. We will additionally think about they’re doing their best possible to maintain quiet.
The Omval, MetMuseum