I didn’t know what to expect when I asked Epco Runia, the Head of Collections at the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam, to show me his favorite etching in the fascinating exhibition he curated, “Rembrandt: Masterpieces in Black and White—Prints from the Rembrandt House Museum,” at the Taft Museum of Art February 7 through May 17.

It would probably be like asking a musician for their favorite composition. But he went right to the most miniature of the nearly 50 small masterpieces in the exhibition in Fifth Third Gallery. There it was, “Sleeping Puppy” (about 1640), an etching of about three inches in length, with the charming subject curled up in a corner.

“It’s a sleeping puppy, a small dog in a kind of little corner of a room, and that’s why I like it so much. It’s such an intimate scene,” he said. “It gives the impression that this is really something he saw, his own dog in his house. And then, out of an impulse, he must have decided to make an etching out of it. Read Leah Zipperstein’s story today in the Business Courier for great information about the technique.)

“And the light is beautiful on this dog — on the head, and the shadows in back and, well, I love dogs. So, the way his head is on his paw resting, those kind of details are so typical for a dog resting. That Rembrandt is interested in something ordinary like this, makes this into such a beautiful thing. That is, for me, very much what I appreciate about Rembrandt. I love the way he brought everyday life into his art.”

That point is well taken when you stroll through the exhibition, which includes self portraits, biblical scenes, landscapes and everyday people. There is a section illustrating Rembrandt’s pioneering art of print-making, with examples of the actual copper plates that he used.Read More »