Rembrandt and Velázquez

Book excerpt: Rembrandt-Velázquez: Dutch and Spanish Masters' presents the best work of two seventeenth-century master painters from the Netherlands and Spain. Works by Rembrandt and Velázquez are presented in a context of contemporaries and compatriots, including spectacular works by Zurbarán, Vermeer, Murillo, Hals, Valdés Leal, Torrentius, Ribera and others. 'Rembrandt-Velázquez' focuses on themes such as religion and realism, beauty and emotion. Presented in pairs, the Spanish and Dutch masterpieces enter into a dialogue. In his essay Hans den Hartog Jager looks for the differences and similarities between two of the greatest painters of all time - and arrives at an unexpected conclusion. Cees Nooteboom takes the reader back to his memories of Spain and reflects on the history and art of the country he calls his second homeland. Exhibition: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (11.10.2019-19.02.2020).