Aristotle with a bust of homer analysis

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Applied Humanities

Learning to See Seeing Rembrandt By James Romaine 1 Module One: Introduction to the Humanities / Page 1.2.4 Seeing Rembrandt On this page: 0 of 5 attempted (0%) | 0 of 2 correct (0%) Objective: Apply the six strategies for analyzing art to a classic work by Rembrandt.

Aristotle with a Bust of Homer

Aristotle is standing and resting his right hand on the top of a bust of Homer, which sits on a table. Aristotle has a solemn expression. He is wearing a dark hat, a dark tunic, dark pants, a light-colored, billowy over-garment, and a thick golden chain with a medallion hanging from it. His left hand rests on his waist and is touching the chain. He has a ring on his left pinkie finger. The chain is worn from the right shoulder to the left waist. He has a dark beard and sideburns. His mustache is a lighter shade than his beard. The bust of Homer is light colored. He has a beard and mustache. He has a small band around his hair. The table is reddish.

Aristotle with a Bust of Homer by Rembrandt van Rijn. Oil on canvas, 1653. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. 4′ 8.5″ × 4′ 5.75″.

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Image copyright © The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Image source: Art Resource, NY

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Now that we’ve applied our six strategies to one work of art, let’s continue to practice this approach by analyzing another one.

Apply Strategies for Evaluating Visual Artwork

On this page, you will analyze a painting using the steps outlined on the previous pages.

The painting at the top of this page depicts the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle in contemplation. It was painted by the celebrated Dutch artist Rembrandt in 1653.

1. Identify It

Artist: Rembrandt van Rijn Title: Aristotle with a Bust of Homer Time Period: 1653 Medium: Oil on canvas Location: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

2. Describe It

Response Board Here’s another chance to try your hand at careful observation and description. What are your first impressions?

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Short-Answer Question

What does the painting depict?

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First impressions: darkness, old man, dull

What does the painting depict? A single figure, an old man, stands in a room. The man looks at and places his hand on the sculpture. He seems to be lost in thought, in his own world, and unaware of our presence.

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The painting is mostly dark. The overall darkness of the painting causes the areas of highlight to visually emerge, to stand out, from the rest of this picture. These areas of light include the man’s face, the top of the sculpture, and the gold chain that hangs around the man’s torso.

The longer we look at the painting, the more our eyes adjust to the darkness. This is similar to what happens when you enter a dark room; after a while, you can see details that you couldn’t make out before. As our eyes adjust to Rembrandt’s painting, more details emerge.

3. Analyze It

What is the relationship between the subject depicted and the means of representation? The title indicates that the man is Aristotle, a Greek philosopher who lived from 384 to 322 BCE. Among his most famous students was Alexander the Great.

The sculptural bust is of Homer, a blind poet and the author of the epic narratives The Iliad and The Odyssey. It is believed that he lived at least 400 years before Aristotle. While the dates of Homer’s life are uncertain and even his very existence has been called into question, what is important for our analysis of Rembrandt’s painting is that, in relation to Aristotle, Homer represented a legendary figure from an already distant past. One of the themes of Homer’s writing was the achievement of immortality through noble and heroic action, particularly warfare.

Alexander the Great, Aristotle’s student, pursued this immortality in his own life, achieving fame and fortune through military conquest. Rembrandt depicts Aristotle wearing a gold chain with a medallion bearing the likeness of Alexander, suggesting that the conqueror rewarded his teacher with this chain. Aristotle touches it with his left hand.

In terms of composition, Aristotle is situated between Homer and Alexander. Aristotle is also visually situated between the areas of light and shadow.

This contest between light and darkness within the picture is embodied in the material of the paint. The rich surface of this painting captures the actual light in the gallery, connecting the light within the space of the picture to the light that illuminates it. This gives the subject (and the questions raised by the subject) immediacy, urgency, and gravity.

Multiple-Choice Question

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Who are the three different people depicted in this work, and what are their roles?

Aristotle the philosopher, Alexander the general, and Homer the poet Aristotle the poet, Homer the general, and Alexander the philosopher Socrates the philosopher, Plato the student, and Aristotle the poet Alexander the statesman, Aristotle the teacher, and Apollo the god

4. Contextualize It

How old was Rembrandt in 1653, when he painted Aristotle with a Bust of Homer? Rembrandt was 47 years old, and he had experienced both the highs of fame and the lows of misfortune.

In the 1630s, Rembrandt had become one of the most successful artists in the Netherlands. He bought a nice house in Amsterdam, and he collected expensive art and fine items, such as chains of gold.

In the 1640s and 1650s, Rembrandt’s life took a different direction. In 1642, his wife Saskia died. Beginning in 1652, as Rembrandt found himself in greater and greater debt, he was forced to sell off his possessions and, in 1658, his house.

Aristotle with a Bust of Homer was painted at a moment when Rembrandt’s life and fortune were in flux. Nevertheless, he still had aspirations for artistic immortality.

5. Interpret It

Rembrandt’s Aristotle with a Bust of Homer depicts a moment of private contemplation. At the same time, this painting invites the viewer to have his or her own private moment of contemplation. The figure of Aristotle acts as a surrogate for viewers —his contemplation becomes our contemplation.

The question that Rembrandt poses, through the figure of Aristotle, is nothing less than the question of the meaning of life. Situated between Homer and Alexander, Aristotle contemplates the relative merits of the contemplative life versus the active life. Which of these is a more meaningful way to live? Is it better to be a poet (a person of ideas) or a general (a person of enterprise)?

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The fundamental question of this painting is the human aspiration for immortality and the question of how to achieve immortality: through poetry or politics? The success of Rembrandt’s painting lies in how he poses a question without giving away the answer. Rembrandt provides no indication of Aristotle’s ultimate conclusion about the meaning of life. Rather, he leaves it to each viewer to arrive at his or her own verdict.

Multiple-Choice Question

Which person did the artist intend for the viewer to identify with here?

Alexander (not pictured) Rembrandt himself Aristotle, the man in contemplation Homer, the man behind the sculpture being considered

6. Evaluate It

At first, I found this painting boring. It seemed like nothing was happening. However, as I looked at and thought about the work and the questions it posed, I began to appreciate it more and more.

In fact, Rembrandt has accomplished something very difficult. How do you visualize the search for the meaning of life and the aspiration for immortality? This work addresses the very reason that art is important. Art asks the big questions that the humanities address, but it poses these eternal questions in a uniquely material way.

Response Board How would you phrase the big idea this painting addresses?

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