Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn.

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was born July 15, 1606 in Leiden, the Netherlands. His father worked at a mill, as did many Dutchmen, but wanted his son to work in an academic profession. However, Rembrandt left his studies at the University of Leiden in order to study painting. His work had become well known by 1631 and so he left his successful Leiden studio for Amsterdam. After this he became Holland's premier painter. As a well-known painter, many …

…by that time, but his financial status was far from intolerable. He died October 4, 1669, in Amsterdam. While no one is quite sure how many works he made, the current estimate is 2,300. This breaks down into 600 paintings, 300 etchings, and 1,400 drawings. As Dutch painter Jozef Israels said, Rembrandt was truly "the true type of artist, free, untrammeled, by traditions." SOURCE: Pioch, Nicholas. WebMuseum: Rembrandt. 19 Sept. 2002. WebMuseum. 19 Apr. 2003 <http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/rembrandt>.