One of my favourite artists is Rembrant. He is the greatest Dutch master, a supreme genius in the history of art. To this day the art of Rembrant remains one of the most profound witnesses of the progress of the soul in it's earthly pilgrimage towards higher destiny. The son of a prosperous miller, Rembrant was born in Leiden in 1608. He studied at Leiden University, but his real vocation was painting. His rapid success prompted him to move to the Amsterdam in 1631.

In 1632 Rembrant bought a splendid house, started a collection of paintings and rarities.

The universal artist dealt with many world subjects. Rembrant created a number of portraits and some group portraits which were traditional to the Dutch art. The best of them are "Anatomy lesson of Dr. Tulp" and "The Night Watch."

In 1655 Rembrant found himself in the midst of financial troubles. At that period he painted "The Polish Rider", which was an allegory of the man's earthly journey.

Probably in 1669, the year of his own death, Rembrant painted his famous "Return of the Prodigal Son", which stands at the ultimate peak of Cristian spirituality, illuminating the relationship of the self to the eternity.

The biblical theme was very important to Rembrant. He painted "Artakserks, Oman and Eshpir", "The Saint Family".

Rembrant was not understood when he was alive. He died in poverty. But it is the spirituality of his art that distinguishes Rembrant from his Dutch contemporaries making him the greatest artist of the world.