Alyona Nicklesen
Countless generations of artists have been intrigued by the elusive nature of human skin. My favourite master of portraiture is Rembrandt. I am instantly awestruck by his brilliant ability to blur the line between two and three dimensions. The genius of Rembrandt’s portrayal of skin is not only about using a limited set of specific colours or high contrast in values. It is also about manipulating the medium such that skin appears as you would see it in person and in real life – not refined and artificial, but tangible and alive.
According to many writings about his techniques, Rembrandt did not have a single system or method. By experimenting and learning about the properties of the available materials, he constantly stretched their limits and manipulated them, often in unorthodox ways.