One sees the continuity from the theatrical bent of early scenes to the inner drama of later portraits. One also sees the rapid growth and slow decline of Rembrandt's fortunes, including in the number of his students. Rooms devoted first to drawings and then to prints provide mental respite and new lessons. The show makes every effort to explain the processes of painting and print making, from the point of view of both maker and historian. Labels reproduce X rays, along with other looks beneath a painting's surface.
Cabinets hold and clearly explain the tools of art.
One sees Rembrandt's varied means for creating the illusion of contrasting light against a human face. One sees prints that are at once etching, engraving, and drypoint. Thankfully, I was more confused than ever about what distinguishes Rembrandt's style . My uncertainty extended to the personalities of his students, among them some of the best painters of the Baroque. The show never glibly equates works under Rembrandt's influence with fakery.