Woman with a Pink Carnation by Rembrandt van Rijn Postcard

Portrait of a Woman with a Pink Carnation by Rembrandt van Rijn, oil on canvas 1662, also titled Woman with a Pink, is a commissioned portrait painting of a Dutch lady from Rembrandt’s late, mature period. The woman holds a pink carnation flower, a symbol of love, marriage and fidelity. The painting embodies Rembrandt’s solidity of classical, sculptural form but with innovative, painterly technique reminiscent of Titian and the Venetian painters, with subtle color and atmospheric chiaroscuro. The serious insight into the human soul and empathy with his subjects reveals the unrivaled skill as a portraitist that made Rembrandt one of the most beloved artists in history. Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606 - 1669) was a Dutch painter and printmaker born in Leiden and active in Amsterdam during the height of the Dutch Golden Age of painting. Rembrandt apprenticed briefly with the painter Pieter Lastman before opening his own studio, where he went on to create many portraits, paintings and prints with Biblical, mythological and historical themes. Enjoying great success and fame as a portraitist and history painter, the artist experienced personal and financial hardships after the death of his wife, Saskia. Universally revered as one of the greatest painters and printmakers in Western art, Rembrandt is known for his deep empathy for the human condition. Rembrandt forged his innovative, painterly technique in his own observations of human life and deep study of classical art, the Renaissance, and the form and expression of the human figure.