Jacques Roland to explore Rembrandt’s drawings in Gozo lecture

Art specialist and researcher Jacques Roland will deliver a talk on the drawings of Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn at Arthall in Victoria, on Friday, 30 October, at 7.30pm.

Titled Rembrandt’s Drawings, the lecture will examine the artist’s working methods, creative process and approach to drawing, etching and painting, offering insights for those studying or practising these art forms.

Drawing inspiration from Henri-Georges Clouzot’s 1955 documentary Le mystère Picasso, which explores the creative process by filming Pablo Picasso at work, Roland will consider what happens in an artist’s mind during the act of creation, using Rembrandt’s drawings and etchings to explore this question.

Rembrandt’s surviving works offer an insight into his personality, his methods of study and the way he approached his subjects. Known for his extraordinary imagination and memory, he often explored themes over several years, combining a disciplined work ethic with humour, self-mockery and a provocative spirit.

The lecture will also consider how Rembrandt continued to develop his artistic research despite financial hardship, professional jealousy and hostility from sections of Amsterdam society following his bankruptcy and the sale of his house and printing press in 1658. Until his death in 1669, he continued to pursue his investigations into drawing, etching and painting.

Roland will examine how Rembrandt’s independence and freedom of expression are reflected in his lines and the construction of his studies. Particular attention will be given to the artist’s exploration of volume and his efforts to convey emotion through the people, animals, scenes and landscapes he depicted.

Through close observation of his work, the talk aims to reveal how Rembrandt’s personality informed his artistic choices and how his technical experimentation served a broader purpose: communicating emotion. The lecture will also consider the enduring relevance of his art, whose universal and timeless qualities continue to give it a distinctly modern character.

Roland specialises in French and European art, with a particular focus on the technical and emotional qualities of Rembrandt’s drawings, etchings and paintings. He runs the educational platform Rembrandt.ovh and leads specialised art-history lectures and workshops, including collaborations with the historic Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris. A regular visitor to Gozo, he has a longstanding affection for the island.

The talk will take place at Arthall, 8 Triq Agius de Soldanis, Victoria, Gozo, on Friday, 30 October, at 7.30pm. For further information, contact Arthall on arthallgozo@gmail.com, visit arthallgozo.com or find Arthall on Facebook at facebook.com/ArtHallGozo.