Until the last, the artist did not want to part with the painting that combined the features of two women dear to him. But in 1656 he was forced to declare himself bankrupt. His house and property were sold. "Danaë" disappeared for a century until Catherine the Great acquired it for the Winter Palace.
Barbaric Attack in 1985
On a sunny day, June 15, 1985, a person of unremarkable appearance entered the Rembrandt Hall in the Hermitage. Asking which painting was the most valuable there, and receiving the answer — "Danaë" — he approached the canvas. Suddenly, as if possessed, he drove a knife into the flesh of the canvas, into its very heart — in Danaë's groin. The blade pierced the painting through, leaving a gaping wound the size of a palm. Then followed another blow, and another... The vandal's fury was released in a stream of sulfuric acid, corroding Danaë's face, chest, and legs.
"Danaë" was brought back to life at the cost of immense effort. She is still beautiful, but no longer the one that once shone in the halls of the Hermitage. Details were lost forever: the lower edge of the blanket covering Danaë's legs was torn off, part of the coral bracelet on her left wrist disappeared, and the bunch of keys in the servant's hand was gone. But the worst thing — the golden light streaming over the body has faded.
The Myth of Danaë
Rembrandt borrowed the plot of "Danaë" from ancient Greek mythology. The story is simple and timeless: you cannot escape fate. King Acrisius of Argos desperately tried to avoid the prophecy of death at the hand of his own grandson. He locked his only daughter Danaë in an impregnable "copper tower." But what could stop Zeus, who desired her?
Rembrandt and Tradition
Many masters of the Renaissance approached the myth of Danaë. Correggio, Titian, Tintoretto — each portrayed the golden rain in which Zeus appeared to the beautiful maiden in their own way. Gold was associated with mercenary love, and canvases were full of erotic models drowning in golden coins. But Rembrandt did not seek risqué hints. In his "Danaë" there is no room for mercenary love, even the golden rain itself seems ghostly.
The Drama of Nudity
In the era of gloss and retouched ideals of beauty, when the naked body has become a familiar sight, it is easy to lose the line between "naked" and "bare." "Nudity" is a pose, artificiality, indifference to the viewer. "Golota" (bareness) is defenselessness, vulnerability, timid embarrassment, and unspoken desire. In Rembrandt's "Danaë" there is not only physical nakedness, the viewer sees a naked soul.
History of Creation
Rembrandt painted "Danaë" not for sale. The first version, created in 1636, shortly after his marriage to his beloved Saskia, was essentially a portrait of his adored wife. But in 1642, Saskia was gone. Rembrandt mourned his beloved for a long time. But soon a new love appeared in his life — Geertje Dircx. During this period he repainted "Danaë."
X-ray examination in the mid-20th century revealed the secret of these changes. It turned out that Danaë-Saskia was not looking straight ahead, but upward, at the golden rain. Her hand was in a different position — palm down, as if saying goodbye. In the updated version, the palm is turned upward, in an inviting gesture.