I recently enjoyed a visit to the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam with Liz and my sister and brother-in-law. It was quite moving to be in the actual room where he painted, seeing the light coming through the windows and imagining his assistants grinding and mixing paints. Later that day we had a chance to see a number of his paintings at the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.
The recreated artist's studio in the Rembrandt House Museum (Amsterdam)
The quality of the light he painted certainly gives me much to watch for. Especially that which is soft, often one-sided and used to highlight and connect parts of the whole. I rarely use anything but natural lighting so I take what I get, but knowing what to look for and when it might be there are skills I’m always trying to perfect. The Dutch light is amazingly soft and vibrant. Then, of course, there is the issue of translating that reality into a photograph!
The soft Dutch light and the remarkable 17th century windmill made it possible to understand what Rembrandt might have seen.
I have seen similar light here in Vermont especially in the Fall and Spring I think mainly due to the sun being lower and the humidity higher. Having seen what Rembrandt did with his Dutch light makes me want to learn more about and experiment with different kinds of light. There is so much to learn!
Still Learning To See 