Rembrandt Van Rijn | Angel Words and Art

Abraham with Three Angels

February 5th, 2009 by Kathleen

Judaism, Christianity and Islam are known as the Abrahamic religions. All three honor the patriarch Abraham, whose faith was so great that he was willing to sacrifice his own son because God told him to.

In the painting Abraham with Three Angels, by the Renaissance master Rembrandt van Rijn, Abraham is sitting outdoors, conversing with angels.

It is interesting to note that Rembrandt seldom used the color blue. Supposedly that was because at the time, blue paint was made with precious stones, such as lapis lazuli, and was extremely expensive. That’s why he uses mainly browns and other earth colors.

Yet Rembrandt manages to make his angels glow with light. He was, after all, a master the technique known as chiaroscuro, the dramatic depiction of light and shade.