Rembrandt Harmenszoon Van Rijn was a Dutch painter, draftsman, and an etcher of the 17th century. His paintings are characterized by luxuriant brushwork, rich colour, and a mastery of chiaroscuro. Numerous portraits and self-portraits exhibit a profound penetration of character. He was the greatest artist of the Dutch school, a master of light and shadow, whose paintings, drawings, and etchings made him a giant in the history of art.

Rembrandt's father was a miller who wanted the boy to follow a learned profession, but Rembrandt left to study painting. His early work was devoted to lines, light and shade, and color of the people he saw around him. He was influenced by the work of Caravaggio and was fascinated by the work of many other Italian artists especially Peter Paul Rubens. For a short period of time, he shared a studio with Fran Hals as they learned to paint and practiced portraits on each other. When Rembrandt became established as a painter, he began to teach and continued teaching art throughout his life.

When Rembrandt's work became well known and his studio in Leiden was flourishing about 1631, he moved to Amsterdam. He became the leading portrait painter in Holland and received many commissions for portraits and paintings of religious subjects. He lived the life of a wealthy, respected citizen and married in 1634.

His wife was his first model for many of his paintings and drawings. Rembrandt also attained fame for his landscapes, while as an etcher he ranks among the foremost of all time.

When he had no other model, he painted or sketched his own image. It is estimated that he painted between 50 and 60 self-portraits. He lived comfortably and as he gained wealth, he bought many paintings by other artists. By the mid-1650s he was living so far beyond his means that when his wife died, his house and goods had to be auctioned to pay his debts. Rembrandt became the famous "starving artist".

In his older years, he resided with his housekeeper, the caretaker of his son and second model for his paintings. Although they never married, she helped market his paintings to avoid any further debt collectors. Rembrandt died a pauper but left an incredible amount of paintings for all the world to admire. He was one of the greatest artists to ever live.