light and color

The Anatomy Lesson Oil On Canvas

by Xiaoze Xie

This piece is a reinterpretation of a classic painting by Rembrandt. Rembrandt painted it in 1632 while livingin amsterdam. he was twenty six at the time. Although the original painting is in full color, Xie Xiaoze chose to make his recreation stark black and white. This artistic decision places additional importance on his usage of light and darkness. In the original painting the focal point is the cadaver. It is the brightest object in the piece, not to mention it’s in the center of action. Xie Xiaoze version also has the cadaver as the focal point but it is even brighter than the original. Not only is the cadaver itself a ghostly white but the surrounding figures are darker and less emphasized than in Rembrandts original version.