The background is a solid dark space, setting-off the golden light that baths the entire face. The viewer is lead to questions Rembrandt's thoughts. Rembrandt by Himself, overall, is a visual masterpiece. His ability to achieve emotions through paint, from the youthful, carefree attitude, to an old age appearance of deep introspection and contemplation, is remarkable. It is obvious that he is an ingenious draftsman and can represent through paint the natural texture of flesh, fabric, fur, hair, jewelry, or even the sheen of armor.
Many portraits appear so natural that one can almost sense the temperature and odor of the subject.
He manipulates the paint surface like no artist before, achieving the ideal balance between the bravura of expressive brushstrokes and the sensitive attention to minute detail. The mere painting of an eye socket is a masterpiece in itself in its multitude of painterly subtleties and the manner in which light emanates outward from it. An eye in a socket interplays with the surrounding space, just as a head merges with the background. Rembrandt undoubtedly remains one of the most gifted artists of all time.