Baroque • a performance of Rembrandt’s shadow play • on the stage 

Unlike in Renaissance paintings where light is evenly spread across every character, light becomes the main conductor in Baroque paintings, taking on a new and unprecedented shape. Within this play of light and shadow, Rembrandt van Rijn is a pioneer towards a new way of seeing in an evolving world. Among the artist’s works, this Baroque style of illumination is skillfully adapted to various landscapes that combines light with brushwork to form a worldly stage. By capturing the essence of light within painting, Rembrandt’s skill in communicating emotion is unparalleled. This exhibition presents a number of the artist’s masterpieces, including Three Musicians, Unconscious Patient, Stone Operation, Portrait of a Man in a Red Coat, and many others. The large pools of light that form in contrast to the dark background creates a mysterious effect that places the characters on stage under a spotlight. While the painting is broken apart by light, it also comes together again to form a new world. Rembrandt’s play with light and shadow is multifarious and constantly changing. The layers of light formed are neither blinding nor silent. Instead, they are a testament to the natural flow of life. This phenomenon is even more evident in Rembrandt’s self-portraits. 

Targeted educational demonstrations • parent-child interactions • inspiring and spontaneous creations 

Rembrandt takes the contrast between light and dark to the max: the rays of light in his paintings are always brilliant but hard to understand. How ought we begin to interpret this play of light and shadow? How can we find a central focus in his paintings among the various assortment of lighting effects? The Educational Department at Long and touchBOX will jointly help you find the answer to these questions. Through a complete tour that touches on 17th century Dutch history and introduces the features of Baroque art, we can begin to look at Rembrandt’s use of light with a fresh pair of eyes. Together, we can unravel this knot of knowledge and inspire a love of creation among children. Throughout this workshop, we will be creating colors through gradients and guiding our participant’s mastery of color to develop a unique way of depicting light.