- Email: [email protected]
Depression, physical illness, and the faces of Rembrandt
DISSECTING ROOM
Depression, physical illness, and the faces of Rembrandt Rembrandt by Himself The first exhibition ever of Rembrandt’sSelf-portraits.Showing at the National Gallery,London, until Sept 5,1999, and at the Mauritshuis, The Hague, the Netherlands,from Sept 25,1999, to Jan 9,2000.
I
have been following Rembrandt for years (see Lancet 1997; 350: 1835-37). Since biographical documents are scarce, I have studied his works that are on exhibit worldwide. In
The four self-portraits Clockwise from top left: Glasgow, London, Edinburgh, and Washington DC.
this quest, there is much a physician can learn. Rembrandt was a shrewd, meticulous observer, a master teacher of the expression of mood. Now, London’s National Gallery presents the largest exhibition of Rembrandt’s self-portraits ever staged. In the Glasgow portrait (1632), Rembrandt is only 26 years old. His skin is fair, smooth, healthy, with a touch of pink on his cheeks. His eyebrows curve evenly. He opens his eyes wide, freely. His brilliant eyes reflect the light-there is a white dot, a spark in his right eye. His nose is in proportion. Neither the nasolabial grooves nor the buccolabial grooves can be seen. His mouth is closed. He merely contracts the lateral and superior modiolar muscles, retracting the corners of his mouth, puckering his lips, as if about to speak. Rembrandt dresses like a member of the Dutch gentry. He enjoys talent, health; nothing seems to be in his way. He seems ready to challenge time itself. In the London portrait of 1640, Rembrandt is 34 years old. By now he might believe he has overcome time, 262
achieved immortality with his work. His eyes shine. There are no grooves. His facial muscles are at rest. He dresses lavishly-in silks, velvet, fur-but he turns his face and underneath his haughty pose one discovers distressing signs. He has gained some weight. A slight crease bridges his eyebrows. Three lines cross his forehead; two others lie underneath his right eye. Note, however, that these lines do not contribute to his expression. They are wrinkles, showing prematurely for his age. Why? With his self-portraits, Rembrandt left a trail of masterpieces. No two are Rembrandt’s self-portrait, 1632, panel. the same. In each, Rembrandt tells us a Close up. Glasgow, the Burrell collection. different story. Deception or truth? Is he battling with his own moods? Let us see weight fluctuating, his muscles tense, in what he tells us next. his last years his sadness was morbid, sustained-all signs that point to this The Edinburgh portrait is startling. It diagnosis. By 1659, he had lost family, was painted in 1659, so Rembrandt fortune, and contracts; he survived in must be 53 years old. Time has passed vexing poverty. There are no records of quickly. But what has it done to him? his symptoms or habits. But in his work His face is covered with wrinkles. His skin is thick in places, thin in others. one wonders about his preference for Rembrandt has changed his art, as if to dark colours and the portrayal of bleak moods in his subjects. Rembrandt describe his reality. In places he uses would withdraw, go months without multiple layers of paint, in others he working, and at the end he became leaves the canvas bare. I follow each dependent on others-all behaviours brush stroke. Red pointed dabs trace suggestive of depression. the temporal vessel on the right. The Washington portrait is well Crimson smudges spot his cheeks. known to me. Ruddy impastos Now, a deep black thicken his nose. crevice splits his Rembrandt looks eyebrows. His ill. dermachalasis has He also seems been complicated sad. He glances at with brow and eyeyou fkom over his lid ptosis. But shoulder. There is Rembrandt has no spark in his made a decision. eyes. The nasolabial groove is He wants to estabobvious, wide. He lish contact with contracts the us, face us straight on. And the price depressor labii inferioris and is high, for to overanguli oris muscome the effect of cles, bringing his illness he has to down the corners overcontract the of his mouth, in a muscles of his foregrimace. head, deepening I believe that his wrinkles. The Rembrandt may spark has returned also have had clinito his eyes. But cal depression. His notice the ominous portraits reveal it. sign-a white arc s o m e t i m e s Rembrandt’s self-portrait,1640, canvas. in his left eye, slouching, his Close up. National Gallery, London, UK. denser than the I
THE LANCET * Vo1354 July 17,1999
DISSECTING ROOM
Rembrandt’s self-portrait, 1659, canvas. Close-up. Edinburgh, UK, the Sutherland collection.
normal reflection of light, suggests arcus senilis, cholesterol deposits.The creamy impastos underneath his eyes suggest xanthelasma, high triglycerides. I have counted nine blotches of rosacea on his face. His nose is bulbous with rhinoPhPa. Diagnosing Rembrandt demands knowledge of his technique. His images change with the distance and with the
THE LANCET .Vol354 -July 17,1999
angle at which they are observed. One has to scrutinise each brush stroke.With stabbing strokes he has created the winding path of the left temporal vessel. In its depths he has left the canvas bare, its grey priming exposed. So the vessel appears tortuous, discoloured, suggestive of temporal arteritis-a disease that does not necessarily progress to blindness, that in every patient has its own course. But there is another clue. Come close, observe. A dab of a dingy brown pigment outlines a lump, like a nodule at the vessel’s root. Sorrow clings to Rembrandt. The nasolabial groove cuts deep at a sharp angle with his nose. And the contraction of the depressor and modiolar muscles draws the skin, in yet another wrinkle that hacks a deep verticle furrow down his mouth, retracting his chin, as if in pain. Rembrandt reveals his illnesses.With brush strokes he calls us in, summons our compassion. And what an experience it is. Notice that in the other portraits Rembrandt places the light on the right. But in the Washington portrait he puts it directly on his forehead, on his left temporal artery, as if to say: “Look at me. See what is happening to me.” Examining a face is venturing into the depths of the human condition-a daily journey for a physician. Please go and
Rembrandt’s self-portrait, 1659, canvas. Close up. National Gallery, Washington, DC, USA, the Mellon collection.
see Rembrandt by Himself. Let his brush strokes guide you, and give yourself time. Carlos H €spine/ The Blood Pressure Center and Center for Clinical Bioethics, Georgetown University, 1715 N George Mason Drive, Suite 401, Arlington, VA 22205, USA (email: [email protected])
263
Depression, physical illness, and the faces of Rembrandt Rembrandt by Himself The first exhibition ever of Rembrandt’sSelf-portraits.Showing at the National Gallery,London, until Sept 5,1999, and at the Mauritshuis, The Hague, the Netherlands,from Sept 25,1999, to Jan 9,2000.
I
have been following Rembrandt for years (see Lancet 1997; 350: 1835-37). Since biographical documents are scarce, I have studied his works that are on exhibit worldwide. In
The four self-portraits Clockwise from top left: Glasgow, London, Edinburgh, and Washington DC.
this quest, there is much a physician can learn. Rembrandt was a shrewd, meticulous observer, a master teacher of the expression of mood. Now, London’s National Gallery presents the largest exhibition of Rembrandt’s self-portraits ever staged. In the Glasgow portrait (1632), Rembrandt is only 26 years old. His skin is fair, smooth, healthy, with a touch of pink on his cheeks. His eyebrows curve evenly. He opens his eyes wide, freely. His brilliant eyes reflect the light-there is a white dot, a spark in his right eye. His nose is in proportion. Neither the nasolabial grooves nor the buccolabial grooves can be seen. His mouth is closed. He merely contracts the lateral and superior modiolar muscles, retracting the corners of his mouth, puckering his lips, as if about to speak. Rembrandt dresses like a member of the Dutch gentry. He enjoys talent, health; nothing seems to be in his way. He seems ready to challenge time itself. In the London portrait of 1640, Rembrandt is 34 years old. By now he might believe he has overcome time, 262
achieved immortality with his work. His eyes shine. There are no grooves. His facial muscles are at rest. He dresses lavishly-in silks, velvet, fur-but he turns his face and underneath his haughty pose one discovers distressing signs. He has gained some weight. A slight crease bridges his eyebrows. Three lines cross his forehead; two others lie underneath his right eye. Note, however, that these lines do not contribute to his expression. They are wrinkles, showing prematurely for his age. Why? With his self-portraits, Rembrandt left a trail of masterpieces. No two are Rembrandt’s self-portrait, 1632, panel. the same. In each, Rembrandt tells us a Close up. Glasgow, the Burrell collection. different story. Deception or truth? Is he battling with his own moods? Let us see weight fluctuating, his muscles tense, in what he tells us next. his last years his sadness was morbid, sustained-all signs that point to this The Edinburgh portrait is startling. It diagnosis. By 1659, he had lost family, was painted in 1659, so Rembrandt fortune, and contracts; he survived in must be 53 years old. Time has passed vexing poverty. There are no records of quickly. But what has it done to him? his symptoms or habits. But in his work His face is covered with wrinkles. His skin is thick in places, thin in others. one wonders about his preference for Rembrandt has changed his art, as if to dark colours and the portrayal of bleak moods in his subjects. Rembrandt describe his reality. In places he uses would withdraw, go months without multiple layers of paint, in others he working, and at the end he became leaves the canvas bare. I follow each dependent on others-all behaviours brush stroke. Red pointed dabs trace suggestive of depression. the temporal vessel on the right. The Washington portrait is well Crimson smudges spot his cheeks. known to me. Ruddy impastos Now, a deep black thicken his nose. crevice splits his Rembrandt looks eyebrows. His ill. dermachalasis has He also seems been complicated sad. He glances at with brow and eyeyou fkom over his lid ptosis. But shoulder. There is Rembrandt has no spark in his made a decision. eyes. The nasolabial groove is He wants to estabobvious, wide. He lish contact with contracts the us, face us straight on. And the price depressor labii inferioris and is high, for to overanguli oris muscome the effect of cles, bringing his illness he has to down the corners overcontract the of his mouth, in a muscles of his foregrimace. head, deepening I believe that his wrinkles. The Rembrandt may spark has returned also have had clinito his eyes. But cal depression. His notice the ominous portraits reveal it. sign-a white arc s o m e t i m e s Rembrandt’s self-portrait,1640, canvas. in his left eye, slouching, his Close up. National Gallery, London, UK. denser than the I
THE LANCET * Vo1354 July 17,1999
DISSECTING ROOM
Rembrandt’s self-portrait, 1659, canvas. Close-up. Edinburgh, UK, the Sutherland collection.
normal reflection of light, suggests arcus senilis, cholesterol deposits.The creamy impastos underneath his eyes suggest xanthelasma, high triglycerides. I have counted nine blotches of rosacea on his face. His nose is bulbous with rhinoPhPa. Diagnosing Rembrandt demands knowledge of his technique. His images change with the distance and with the
THE LANCET .Vol354 -July 17,1999
angle at which they are observed. One has to scrutinise each brush stroke.With stabbing strokes he has created the winding path of the left temporal vessel. In its depths he has left the canvas bare, its grey priming exposed. So the vessel appears tortuous, discoloured, suggestive of temporal arteritis-a disease that does not necessarily progress to blindness, that in every patient has its own course. But there is another clue. Come close, observe. A dab of a dingy brown pigment outlines a lump, like a nodule at the vessel’s root. Sorrow clings to Rembrandt. The nasolabial groove cuts deep at a sharp angle with his nose. And the contraction of the depressor and modiolar muscles draws the skin, in yet another wrinkle that hacks a deep verticle furrow down his mouth, retracting his chin, as if in pain. Rembrandt reveals his illnesses.With brush strokes he calls us in, summons our compassion. And what an experience it is. Notice that in the other portraits Rembrandt places the light on the right. But in the Washington portrait he puts it directly on his forehead, on his left temporal artery, as if to say: “Look at me. See what is happening to me.” Examining a face is venturing into the depths of the human condition-a daily journey for a physician. Please go and
Rembrandt’s self-portrait, 1659, canvas. Close up. National Gallery, Washington, DC, USA, the Mellon collection.
see Rembrandt by Himself. Let his brush strokes guide you, and give yourself time. Carlos H €spine/ The Blood Pressure Center and Center for Clinical Bioethics, Georgetown University, 1715 N George Mason Drive, Suite 401, Arlington, VA 22205, USA (email: [email protected])
263