It’s not everyday that we celebrate someone’s 407th birthday, but this one is a big one. If he were still alive, Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn would turn 407 years old and Google is marking the birthday with a doodle.
Today’s Google Doodle isn’t as animated as other recent ones, but it doesn’t have to be. It features 1659’s Self-Portrait With Beret and Turned Up Collar, which is on display at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, notes The Washington Post.
“Old age is a hindrance to creativity but cannot crush my youthful spirit,” Rembrandt said and that’s reflected in his self portraits. Beret and Turned Up Collar shows an artist who didn’t glamorize his wrinkles or greying hair. He was 53 at the time and three of his four children had died and was bankrupt.
Rembrandt was born in Leiden in 1606 and died in 1669, with hundreds of paintings and etching to his name. He kept a record of his own life, constantly producing self-portraits. According to EW, he made around 40 self-portraits. The artist outlived sons Hendrickje and Titus, who died the year before his father did.
It might not be an animated Google Doodle, but it's still a great one if it leads to more people discovering Rembradnt's work.
image: Google