Printmaker Rembrandt - 'The Three Crosses'

This image is a dry point etching called ‘The Station of the Cross (The Three Crosses). This print is by the Dutch printmaker Rembrandt (1606-1669) in 1653.  This print is considered one of Rembrandt’s finest works, and this print represents the highlight of his career in printmaking.

This image is of the fourth state of the etching. Rembrandt completely transformed the plate by scraping away large areas of the print, completely changing the composition of the original form. However, some of the first print is still visible underneath the hatching. He covered the sky with strong parallel lines portraying beams of light highlight the remaining figures on both sides. Also, the Christ's face has been altered to show his mouth open and his eyes half-closed. Together, these small changes alter the subject matter of the print. This change now focuses your attention to the figure of Christ in the final moments before his death.

In earlier stages of the print, we see the scene is total chaos. The cross is surrounded by busy crowds, some of which are grieving family and friends. Here, Rembrandt altered the composition by darkening and obscuring the crowd so that the central focus is Christ on the cross. Rembrandt cast a dark light over the scene by working over the entire plate with hatched lines, which creates an eerie atmosphere.

Rembrandt was a great innovator and experimenter in this medium, often handling traditional materials in unconventional ways, and I feel he still has a lasting impact on the printmaking world today.