REMBRANDT’S painting, Christ and St Mary Magdalene at the Tomb, shows Mary on her knees, praying, at the moment when the newly resurrected Christ reveals himself to her. It is dawn and the artist depicts the first cool light of day breaking over the distant towers of Jerusalem in the valley below. It rakes like a miraculous beam across the landscape, illuminating Christ’s white gown and Mary’s startled face. The symbolism is obvious, but the effect is brilliant.
The picture, a loan from the Royal Collection, is one of 35 paintings, etchings and drawings included in an innovative exhibition that explores Rembrandt’s mastery of light. Instead of showing it in a conventional way, the curators have blacked out part of the room and the painting has been lit with a single spotlight that, over a couple of minutes, steadily increases in intensity—from virtual darkness to full strength. The experience is genuinely remarkable. Because Rembrandt’s contrasts between light and dark are so intense, the lightest parts of the painting emerge from the gloom first. It really does seem that dawn is slowly breaking.
Denne historien er fra November 20, 2019-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra November 20, 2019-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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SOS: save our wild salmon
Jane Wheatley examines the dire situation facing the king of fish
Into the deep
Beneath the crystal-clear, alien world of water lie the great piscean survivors of the Ice Age. The Lake District is a fish-spotter's paradise, reports John Lewis-Stempel
It's alive!
Living, burping and bubbling fermented masses of flour, yeast and water that spawn countless loaves—Emma Hughes charts the rise and rise) of sourdough starters
There's orange gold in them thar fields
A kitchen staple that is easily taken for granted, the carrot is actually an incredibly tricky customer to cultivate that could reduce a grown man to tears, says Sarah Todd
True blues
I HAVE been planting English bluebells. They grow in their millions in the beechwoods that surround us—but not in our own garden. They are, however, a protected species. The law is clear and uncompromising: ‘It is illegal to dig up bluebells or their bulbs from the wild, or to trade or sell wild bluebell bulbs and seeds.’ I have, therefore, had to buy them from a respectable bulb-merchant.
Oh so hip
Stay the hand that itches to deadhead spent roses and you can enjoy their glittering fruits instead, writes John Hoyland
A best kept secret
Oft-forgotten Rutland, England's smallest county, is a 'Notswold' haven deserving of more attention, finds Nicola Venning
Rising supreme: the housethat stayed the course
A medieval manor in Derbyshire survives the building of a 'new hall' and two ancient Wiltshire properties reflect the care and innovation of successive families
The decorated bathroom
Make your bathroom feel more like your sitting room, says Flora Soames
The designer's room
Sims Hilditch has created a cosseting space for a family to relax after a day on the sea
