Van Gogh looks to Rembrandt van Rijn: Self-compassion, associative memory, creative process

Summary Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) looked to Rembrandt van Rijn’s (1609–1669) artistic persona and drew from it according to his own needs as an artist and individual. His interest extended from a self-compassionate desire to create a meaningful connection with Rembrandt and evolved through experiences that were both serendipitous and consciously organized. As Van Gogh learned more about Rembrandt’s works, he made transtemporal connections. This article navigates Van Gogh’s experiences, expressed in his letters and one contemporary account, and examines how the associative nature of Van Gogh’s memory relates to his creative process. Van Gogh found in Rembrandt what he needed at different moments in his life. He cited Rembrandt as his artistic ancestor when he felt required to defend his decision to become an artist. He admired the way Rembrandt depicted natural light, in paintings and prints. He also felt a strong sense of connection, initially with Rembrandt’s religious subjects, and towards the end of his life with how Rembrandt presented the human form. Determined to sort out the kind of painted surfaces he wanted to create, he closely examined Rembrandt’s paintings. Van Gogh regarded Rembrandt as a precedent for his own ambitious endeavors. Van Gogh consciously created opportunities to study Rembrandt’s work, or what was considered to be so, in collections in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and England. He was delighted to receive reproductions of Rembrandt’s prints from his brother Theo, and to share them with other members of his family. Van Gogh read extensively about Rembrandt, in the work of leading contemporary writers including Blanc, Thoré-Bürger, and Fromentin, although he did not simply adopt their views. His letters reveal his capacity to internalize their ideas, and carry Rembrandt’s works in his own visual memory, where he would process and integrate his experiences, sometimes for years before another encounter stimulated Van Gogh to make new connections across time. Van Gogh’s interest in Rembrandt reveals the associative nature of his memory. It also demonstrates Van Gogh’s desire to foster a meaningful connection with the life and works of Rembrandt, from whom Van Gogh acquired a profound sense of comfort and support.