Rembrandt, Master of Light, at the Dulwich Picture Gallery

The Dulwich Picture Gallery celebrates the 350th anniversary of the death of Rembrandt with a large exhibition that explores the greatness of the genius of light through 35 masterpieces. The itinerary brings together international loans, such as The Supper at Emmaus, on loan from the Louvre and on display for the first time ever in the United Kingdom, next to Baucis and Philemon, Tobit and Anna with the Kid and Joseph’s Dream. Dramatic, theatrical, contemplative, spiritual, the art of the Dutch master is broken down into sections in the exhibition, arranged thematically, allowing visitors to immerse themselves into the very souls of the subjects depicted, the emotions and the myths, all found in the dream that developed within the walls and behind the ample windows of the master’s home on Breestraat in the heart of Amsterdam. A lighting system, cleverly developed, allows the masterpieces to be seen at their very best, giving immense importance to light itself. The key paintings show the influence of theatre on Rembrandt’s method, revealing the means with which the artist was able to depict night and day so vividly. There are also his intellectual and religious works which come to terms with his fascinating figurative works, such as Girl at a Window, kept at the Dulwich and displayed for the first time next to A Woman in Bed on loan from the Scottish National Museum.