The Monk in the Cornfield
c. 1646
Medium
Etching with drypoint on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image/plate: 4.7 × 6.6 cm (1 7/8 × 2 5/8 in.); Sheet: 5.1 × 6.9 cm (2 1/16 × 2 3/4 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
155921
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Rembrandt was never shy about showing naked bodies or erotic subjects in a realistic way. In the 1640s he created several scenes of courting couples outdoors, and The Monk in the Cornfield is one of the most sexually charged of these prints. Despite the print’s tiny size, the graphic depiction of an unchaste monk and an enthusiastic milkmaid coupling surreptitiously makes for a powerful sculptural grouping. The etched suggestion of a farmer with a scythe in the background reinforces the temporar...
About the Artist
Rembrandt van Rijn · 1606–1669
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606–1669) stands as one of the greatest visual artists in the history of Western art and the most important Dutch painter of the 17th century. Born in Leiden to a prosperous miller's family, Rembrandt transformed painting through his revolutionary use of light and shadow, his psychological depth in portraiture, and his elevation of etching to a fine art. His approx...