It’s almost as if Rembrandt, in a sort of artistic miracle, has discovered how to paint the invisible.
In 1661, Rembrandt painted five different portraits of apostles. One of those is an elderly St. Matthew sitting at his writing desk, pen in hand, while an angel whispers into his ear. At the time he made this painting, Rembrandt was an aging man himself. In his mid-50s, the great artist was financially insolvent and living with his son (who is probably the model for the angel in the painting). One of his other portraits he made the same year, the one of St. Paul, is a self-portrait and shows the artist developing worry lines on his forehead as time begins to take a toll. In spite of his disappointments with how his life was going, the painting of St. Matthew and the Angel finds him at the height of his artistic powers.
Rembrandt’s work during this period is shifting towards deeply reflective work on the nature of the human soul. It is clear that he is thinking through some of the deeper questions of life and he’s using his talent for painting to ask questions. Which is more important – soul or body? What does it mean to be successful? What is it that arises from deep down within that makes a human beautiful?
In this particular painting of St. Matthew, there are also questions of inspiration and chasing one’s vocation. Rembrandt was a great artist but he was poor. He was given a gift, a talent for communicating transcendent beauty. The angel whispers into his ear and, even if he cannot become wealthy, he will be a happy man to paint such beauty as has been revealed to him. In a very real way, his vocation as an artist allows him to reveal divine mysteries that are spoken only to him.
Painting the soul
For Rembrandt, as the body ages and wears down and falls apart, the beauty of the soul only increases. When approached with love, even the ravages of time are an opportunity to enlarge the soul and prepare for eternity.
I’ve always been amazed at the way his paintings unveil this inward contemplation and growth. Rembrandt, more than any other painter, paints the soul. The philosopher Roger Scruton writes,
“Rembrandt will take the flesh tints on an ageing face and show how each one captures something of the life within, so that the formal harmony of the colors conveys the completeness and unity of the person. In Rembrandt we see integrated character in a disintegrating body. And we are moved to reverence.”
His painting of St. Matthew is created by crafting the painted forms into a dramatic intensity of light and dark, partly achieved with rich, deep colors. The face of the saint is illuminated almost as if from within. Based in a study now referred to as The Head of St. Matthew, the sensitivity and luminosity of the facial expression combine to act as a window into the interior of the man. It’s almost as if Rembrandt, in a sort of artistic miracle, has discovered how to paint the invisible. If his subjects are often care-worn, rough, and perhaps elderly, they are, every last one of them, beautiful.
Beauty is the dawning light of finding one’s purpose, of listening to that whisper in your ear and striving to live it out. The soul shines through, and the beauty of it is like a fresh wind blowing over the face of the earth, a creative breeze, a life-giving breath.
I cannot help but notice that the angel, in contrast to St. Matthew, is youthful. When we listen carefully to the voice of inspiration and seek out our destiny, even if our bodies age, our souls become more young. It’s a sign and foretaste of eternity. Every day I am more excited to be alive. I cannot wait to wake up. Am I getting older and slowing down? Yes. By God’s grace, though, even if I am not perfect and don’t always silence myself enough to listen to him, I manage to stay close enough (or return close enough) that my soul feels like it is being reborn.
Only St. Matthew could have written his Gospel. Only Rembrandt could have made this painting. Only you can achieve the particular destiny that God is giving you. Your life is a revelation of greatness. Inspiration is whispering in your ear – are you listening?
