Arent de Gelder

Arent (Aert) de Gelder (1645-1727) was a Dutch painter, who spent most of his life in his place of birth, Dordrecht. De Gelder was a pupil of both Samuel van Hoogstraten and Rembrandt. Rembrandt's influence is noticeable in De Gelder's use of thick paint and chiaroscuro. Many of his drawings can hardly be distinguished from his great tutor. De Gelder however, preferred brighter colors. De Gelder came from a wealthy family and never had any financial worries. This enabled him to hold on to his own style, even when Rembrandt's style had already become unpopular. His 22-piece Passion series from 1715, now divided between the Amsterdam Rijksmuseum and Schloss Johannisburg in Aschaffenburg, Germany, is considered his most important work.