Las lecciones de anatomía de Rembrandt

Abstract

Besides the joy they can bring us, the arts, and in this specific case painting, enable us to analyse and reflect upon historical information on the status and development of science. In this Anatomy lessons, Rembrandt´s brush transmits far more than a superficial analysis may seem to reveal. These works speak of society, of science, even of transcendence. The author performed a detailed analysis of two masterpieces by the Dutch Baroque master Rembrandt and the context in which they were created. The works in question are The anatomy lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp and The anatomy lesson of Dr. Deijmann; the latter is possibly the most famous neuroanatomical image in art history. We comment on the state of science in general and anatomy in particular in Protestant Europe in the 17th century.