Dulwich Picture Gallery has enlisted help from a Hollywood cinematographer for its forthcoming exhibition on Rembrandt.
Peter Suschitzky, who was director of photography on The Empire Strikes Back and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, will advise the gallery’s curators on how to use light to create an “atmospheric exhibition experience”.
The Dutch painter was famous for his use of light and his techniques have long been copied by film-makers. Pioneering director Cecil B DeMille coined the phrase “Rembrandt lighting” for the use of shadows and light to create a dramatic effect.
Suschitzky said: “I have been inspired by the work of the greatest Old Masters throughout my life, so to have the opportunity to work with some of Rembrandt’s finest paintings is hugely exciting.”
The show, called Rembrandt’s Light, is part of a series of events across Europe marking the 350 years since the artist’s death. It will include more than 30 works and focuses on the years 1639-1658, when he lived on Amsterdam’s Breestraat. The show opens on October 4 and runs to February 2, next year.
Gallery Road, SE21 7AD, dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk
