Life at Verrocchio What is Visual Culture
Dec 142009

There is one more painting and hundreds more drawings by Rembrandt around in the world than those acknowledged by the experts. They are probably in museums or private collections but may be in the hands of dealers.

On Youtube you can see Konstam’s model reconstruction of the scene in a barn which Rembrandt observed direct from his group of  real people to create his painting now in Munich. The camera then pans round to a reflection of that complex model group seen in a mirror of polished pewter (polished copper would have produced a yet more Rembrandtesque warmth of colour). The reflection shows the subject matter of “The Adoration of the Shepherds” now probably in the basement of The National Gallery (London). It was always accepted as a Rembrandt until the Rembrandt Research Project pronounced that it could not possibly be by the same painter as the Munich Rembrandt.

Amusingly only two objects have to be repositioned; the cow and a little boy with a dog. The adults and a central post in the barn with a basket hanging from it  remain as they were, even the spaces between them remain constant.

The complexity of the array and the accuracy of its reflection must prove (beyond reasonable doubt) that Konstam’s long scorned version of Rembrandt’s varied output has triumphed over the establishment version that has tried to impose a level of consistency, which is completely at variance with the recorded character of the artist.

Konstam now comes forward with two long forgotten preparatory drawings for the two paintings which he reasonably claims are therefore by Rembrandt, for certain. The first was published as a Rembrandt by W.R.Valentiner in his 1934 catalogue. The second  was recognised as a Rembrandt by H de Groot in 1904 but  written off by S.Slive in his Dover publication 1965.

Published as a Rembrandt by W.R.Valentiner in his 1934 catalogue

Published as a Rembrandt by W.R.Valentiner in his 1934 catalogue

Recognised as a Rembrandt by H de Groot in 1904 but  written off by S.Slive in his Dover publication 1965

Recognised as a Rembrandt by H de Groot in 1904 but written off by S.Slive in his Dover publication 1965

Konstam points to a particularly beautiful drawn young woman in the drawing wearing a broad brimmed hat and carrying a lantern. The young woman appears again in the National Gallery painting but her hat and lantern are carried by the tall bearded man behind her. This is Konstam’s version of Rembrandt, using live models and mirrors, swapping hats etc.

Beautifully drawn woman with hat and lantern

Beautifully drawn woman with hat and lantern

The woman's hat and lantern are carried by the tall bearded man behind her in the National Gallery Adoration

The woman's hat and lantern are carried by the tall bearded man behind her in the National Gallery Adoration

Over several generations the “experts” have constructed  a castle in the air which has finally collapsed because its founded on a series of fallacies. Ninety percent of their judgements from 1904 onwards should be put straight in the waste paper basket. The present scholars should be relegated to pronounce on Warhol and the like. They are fit for nothing else because they are blinkered by their training. It is a sad fact that we see only what we expect to see, in the main.

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