Ontwerp voor de Rembrandt penning 1988

Vincent Pieter Semeyn Esser made this design for a Rembrandt coin at an unknown date, using plaster. The marks are soft but purposeful, a kind of giving way to the material. This piece gets at something essential about the process of art-making. You know, there's a real tactility to it, the way the light catches on the raised surfaces. The color, a kind of earthy brown, speaks to the directness and honesty of the medium. Look closely at the face, the way the features emerge from the surface. It's like the artist is coaxing the image out of the material, bit by bit. On the reverse, you see an R which is maybe Rembrandt's initial; again, this rises from the surface with a kind of certainty. It reminds me a little of the work of Medardo Rosso, who was also interested in the way that light and surface could create a sense of fleeting presence. Both artists invite us to slow down, to really see the world around us.