Rembrandt & Religion:

The Role Of Art

On Thursday, April 7, at 7:30 pm, art historian Heike Stucke will be at C.H. Booth Library to give a talk and slide show on “Rembrandt van Rijn’s Religious Portraits.”

Mrs Stucke will explore the role of art in the face of the world’s horrors and how Rembrandt through his art allows viewers to negotiate their beliefs system.

These pensive religious portraits that will be the subject of Mrs Stucke’s talk were painted in the late 1650s and early 1660s and have been interpreted in a variety of ways over the last several hundred years. Their existence has never really been satisfactorily explained, however.

They were created during a time of personal turmoil for the artist, and the men and women depicted in the paintings seem weighted down by emotional and spiritual concerns. “The Return of the Prodigal Son,” “The Sea of Galilee,” “Moses Breaking the Tablets of Law” and “The Raising of Lazarus” will all be featured in the lecture.

Rembrandt’s religious portraits are on exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. through May 1.

Call the library at 426-4533 for a reservation or additional information.