AURORA | It might seem odd to find the works of one of the world’s most famous artists hanging in the midst of a medical campus. But the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus has been making it such a habit to bring in works from some of the art world’s greatest masters that it might start being better known for its contributions to art.
The Art Gallery at the Fulginiti Pavilion is in the midst of its showing of more than 50 etchings by the Dutch master Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. The 17th century artist’s work has influenced numerous artists including such masters as Vincent Van Gogh and Francisco Goya. And visitors have a chance to get up close and personal with prints made by Rembrandt that reflect some of his popular themes of Biblical imagery and everyday life of the Jewish section of Amsterdam.
“There aren’t that many art stars. Most soap opera stars are more famous or have greater celebrity than artists. But if you were to ask a person uninterested in art to name a famous artist, it would probably be Rembrandt, Da Vinci or Warhol,” said Simon Zalkind, curator of exhibits. “Very few people are aware during his lifetime and sometime after Rembrandt was known as an etcher not a painter. It was these works that secured him his reputation across the continent.”
The medium of etching limits artists, unlike in painting or sketches, to simply making a line in a copper plate. It’s left up to the artist to give their work depth and character without use of techniques such as shading. And if a mistake is made it has to be worked over due to the expensive materials the art is made on.
“To this day there isn’t anyone who undertakes the discipline and the technique of etching who is not indebted to Rembrandt,” Zalkind said.
The collection is on loan from Drs. Tobia and Morton Mower’s personal collection. Pieces from the duo’s collection have been a part of previous exhibits at Anschutz and the Denver Art Museums, for its “Becoming Van Gogh” exhibit several years ago.
While some collectors want only to have the work for their own personal enjoyment, or just to own something famous, the Mowers want their art to be shared out in public because that’s the whole point of art, the pair said.
“We do liberate art. We’ve done it from the time we first collected,” Tobia Mower said. “I think in some people’s minds they think we’re showing off by lending our art. That’s not it. We love to liberate it. We love to share it. We wouldn’t be in the fields we’ve been in for our lives if we didn’t share our lives with people we enjoy, people we wanted to help. In a sense, by liberating it, we’re helping them to understand art more.”
The etches on display range in topics from landscapes to Biblical images to everyday life, one of the reasons why Morton Mower loves these particular pieces of art. And it is in the everyday life images that Rembrandt has reflected not only the images he saw on a daily basis, but the humanity and daily struggles of his neighbors and friends.
And while it might be hard to forget one is looking at the work of one of the most influential and famous artists of the western world, Zalkind said the art should be viewed without the burden of the idea that this is by someone who is famous.
“It’s hard to get out from under the implications of that name and what is meant for art history and history,” Zalkind said. “What I would ask people to do is look at them as images of their time and place rendered by an extraordinary artist and craftsman and not be intimidated by the name Rembrandt.”