Secrets behind the Contemplation: Formal Analysis of “Aristotle with a Bust of Homer” (1653)
In 1653, at the commission of Sicilian nobleman Don Antonio Ruffo, Rembrandt created the “Oil on canvas” painting Aristotle with a Bust of Homer. For centuries, the painting’s mysterious tone has continued to fascinate while perplexing its viewers: what is Aristotle contemplating? What visions is Rembrandt trying to produce?
The painting displays Aristotle standing in a dark room, clothed in a gold-adorned white gown, black silk velvet apron with a royal medallion, and chain of gold and sapphire. Lines from his two slightly out-stretched upper arms create a geometric triangle of stability, implying a sense of majesty. His high cheekbones, bushy eyebrows, and long dark beard all convey a sense of dignity, eliciting impressions of an old wise philosopher who is respected by all. Moving onto his eyes, however, we see something different: under his droopy eyelids, there’s a lost gaze. There is also moisture on his pupils and shades of grey in his left eye. Added with his parted lips, the evidence seems to suggest that Aristotle, though cladded in rich garments and widely beloved, is not at his ease.
Following his gaze down to the left side, we see the bust of Homer. The angle with which Rembrandt chose to portray the bust is interesting. Instead of arranging it facing viewers, he made sure that viewers can only see the side of Homer’s face. This arrangement has visual effects: it makes Homer look very thin. Homer’s thin body is dressed in a simple Greek tunic, his long bare neck straight without any necklace for decoration. Where his eyes are supposed to be are just white marbles in a slightly curved shape. Homer’s blindness and his plain dress don’t seem to affect the sense of ease the bust of Homer gives. It just sits there on the mahogany table, silently, bathed in sunlight.
Along the lines where the broad stature of Aristotle and the thin figure of Homer intersect are where more artistic techniques are used. In this zone, there’s a sense of haziness, and it could be attributed to Rembrandt’s use of brushes. Unlike the right side of the painting where Rembrandt used quick brushwork to draw out clearly defined lines (like those for Aristotle’s white gown), here the brushwork seems slow, making the lines neat, and as a result blurring the boundaries. Yet, there’s something that’s more prominent here than brushwork — the use of light. Light is coming down from the upper left corner of the painting, and the light’s path is in fact marked out in the painting. The diagonal line formed by the stack of books in the background is the left boundary of the “light zone.” The extended line formed by Aristotle’s right upper arm that goes through the center of his forehead is the right boundary of the “light zone.”
These two diagonal lines not only approximately trisect the frame, but also put emphasis on the central part of the frame. Where Aristotle’s right-hand touches Homer’s head is exactly in this zone. Light and slow brushwork render boundaries between the hand and the head hazy. Aristotle’s warm soft flesh hand seems to blend into Homer’s cold hard marble head, as if the warmth of the sunlight has melted both and mixed them together on the surface — they are no longer separate individuals; they are united together as a whole. A faint golden halo, located in the negative space above Aristotle’s left shoulder and arm, reinforces this unity. The glow from the dark background, possibly sunlight’s scattering on the back wall, creates a bridge of light that serves as the visual linkage between the two heads of Aristotle and Homer, and also their souls.
Touching Homer’s head, Aristotle is contemplating nothing else but how to be Homer.
Tall and well-built as he may be, wealthy as he may be, respectable as he may be, all that is fleeting. This thin, blind man in front of him, who barely lived one day of a decent life, is the sort of man he wants to become, for his achievement is timeless, his reputation eternal, his name immortal. Having attained wealth and status, Aristotle knows well that immortality is not defined by worldly fortunes, but by contributions. While the tall stack of books behind the table may signify Aristotle’s contribution to human knowledge, he is still haunted by the sense of insecurity, making him relatable to viewers in a way.
The claim could further be supported by Rembrandt’s use of color. Color in this painting is rather limited: black, white, and yellow are the three dominant ones. But by adjusting color percentages and using similar colors for related items, Rembrandt managed to highlight his theme. The middle-right and lower-right parts of the painting, where the gold-sapphire chain and the gold embroidery of the gown are featured, are covered in black shadows. The plain parts of his gown without any decorations are illuminated with white light. Naturally, viewers’ gaze would be led to focus on the more illuminated parts of the painting — as intended by Rembrandt: it’s clear that he wanted to emphasize simpleness over extravagance. He is trying to tell viewers that no matter how affluent we are in material possessions, it’s not as important as our character, thoughts, and contributions — these elements are what constitute who we really are underneath. They are the things that will make our descendants remember us, not wealth.
Moreover, viewers might find it counterintuitive that the marble bust of Homer is not of white color, but of yellowish-orange. One could argue that it’s the color of sunlight that renders the bust orange; the person would have failed to realize that Aristotle’s white gown, while also bathed in sunlight, is still perfectly white. Thus, there could only be one conclusion: Rembrandt painted the bust orange on purpose. Upon closer examination, we could see that the color of the bust is similar to that of Aristotle’s face — The bust has the color of living people’s skin.
We arrive at another level of interpretation of the artwork. Not only is Aristotle dreaming of becoming Homer, he is also dreaming of the bust of Homer coming alive, to talk to him, to guide him, to comfort him. This is a story about the two great minds of the human race. In this late afternoon, immersed in warm sunlight, Aristotle is lost in his thoughts, imagining that Homer, the great poet he has always looked up to, could come to life, be his friend, and invite him together into the realm of immortality. While the two sets of contrasting values put forward by Julius Held do exist, I argue that Aristotle is determined to choose the persistent values over the ever-changing ones of worldly honor. In Aristotle with a Bust of Homer, we see the artistic details of lines, brushwork, light, and color all serve to highlight pure parts of Aristotle as a human, connecting Aristotle and Homer in visual ways.
That is Rembrandt’s goal, and he has achieved it.
Bibliography
“Aristotle with a Bust of Homer.” Metmuseum.org. Accessed October 1, 2021. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437394.
“Aristotle with a Bust of Homer.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, September 17, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotle_with_a_Bust_of_Homer.
(Written with inputs from Dr. Caitlin Miller as a part of Art Humanities, Fall 2021)
