Rembrandt van Rijn is considered one of the most renowned, if not the most famous, artists of the Dutch Golden Age. His personal techniques and those he collected from others have created a successful artistic career. Through his life, his art evolves. Rembrandt was constantly pushing himself towards something new, some different boundary. Rembrandt was born in Liedan on 15 July 1606 to a miller, Harmen Gerritsz, and a baker's daughter, Neeltgen van Zuybroeck, who also had nine other children. As she grew up, before becoming a painter, Rembrandt attended Latin school and immediately after continued on to university. His Latin education, overall, lasted only seven years. A few months later, however, he left Latin school to become an apprentice to a painter named Jacob Isaacz van Swanenburgh. Swanenburgh had studied in Italy but it was Rembrandt's later teacher who greatly influenced him. In Amsterdam Rembrandt was apprenticed to Pieter Lastman for about six months. This is where he gained much of his influence. Lastmen painted historical, biblical and mythological scenes. These types of scenes were important during the 16th and 17th centuries. Lastman taught Rambrandt his skill with composition, placing mythological and religious figures in rather complicated scenes. Rembrandt would eventually come to overshadow Lastman. Rembrandt even used his teacher's motifs and subjects for use in his own work. An early example of his work in this period is The Stoning of St. Stephen (1625). The Stoning of St. Stephen is a piece that has a dramatic composition, however not as much as in what his later works bring. A diagonal line creates what almost appears to be two different scenes. The shadow and light, considering that it is a religious scene, could represent evil and...... middle of paper....... The famous artist of the Dutch Golden Age did career in the art world and was soon at the top, even if he didn't remain so. The Stoning of Saint Stephen Passion of Christ Collection The Visitation The Night Watch Aristotle contemplates the bust of Homer Works Cited Kahr, Madlyn. "Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Academic OneFile. Network. March 3, 2014.http: //go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do? ID = GALE%7CEJ1631005504 & V = 2.1 U = Nysl_sl_slfred & It = R&P = Aone & SW = W&AID = 7593BCF003597BCB3B0A2A9DFB8C2ECB "Rembrandt Harbrandt Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th edition (2013): 1-2). completed academic. Network. March 4, 2014"Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn." 2014. The Biography Channel website. http://www.biography.com/people/rembrandt-9455125.