Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, usually known just as Rembrandt, was born in the Netherlands on this day in 1606. His father made good money and got his son into good schools. After a short stint studying at a university, he became an apprentice painter, studying his craft at home in Leiden and in Amsterdam. Once he opened a workshop with a colleague, Rembrandt's work began to draw attention.
He moved to Amsterdam as a professional painter around 1631, a sensible move as it was a major trade hub with many wealthy prospective clients. He started to really rake it in, working on portraits for the rich and powerful as well as painting historical scenes.
Two decades later, he went bankrupt in the midst of an economic depression. Rembrandt was a big spender and was too deep in debt to pay it off when the crisis struck. He sold off all of his belongings, including extremely expensive paintings he'd purchased for himself. He moved to a poorer part of the city and lived there painting mostly self-portraits until his death in 1669.
