Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, Dutch, 1606-1669 1633. Oil on canvas

Immediately, this is a “stand back and take it all in”, kind of piece. Rembrandt’s “Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee” catches our attention for several reasons including, the sharp contrast of light and dark, the intense energy between the mighty waves and rocking ship, and also the sly addition of our painter pulling in our gaze. To understand the significance of this painting one must first know the biblical context. 

Luke 8:22-25

“22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. 23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.

24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”

He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.

In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

This painting is known to be Rembrandt’s only seascape and is a remarkable one. As mentioned before, there are so many attributes to grasp from this one scene. Let’s begin with the storm. Here we see him convey the mighty storm through his quick brushstrokes - the waves blend so effortlessly with the front of the ship that you can imagine the sound of the impact. Moving on we have Christ being awakened near the back of the ship. Our glowing subject in this part of the composition, he appears to be more unsettled from the disciples waking him up rather than the storm itself. And with the use of a diagonal line we follow Christ’s gaze and see that the sky has begun to break, signaling the ending of the storm from his mere impression. This is where we witness Rembrandt’s signature mastery of light and shadows. As the sky breaks, it illuminates the elevated front of the ship, leaving the bottom and back half in a stormy shadow, adding to the narrative of how quickly Christ was able to command the wind and water. 

Next, we have Rembrandt. Our story teller has placed himself in the center of the storm. Holding on tightly to the ship and to his hat, he looks out at us, unmoved. As if to say he knows how this will end, unlike the twelve disciples around him weary with fear. The harpoon hanging off of the ship tells us that the disciples were prepared to be met by a different beast besides this storm. Is Rembrandt proposing the notion that although man may prepare for a specific hardship there will be an unexpected obstacle that will come along that only Christ can save us from? 

Now, allow me to deflect for a moment. My fellow art lovers, and even those who may not know they are, think back to a time when you came across an art piece in real life that took your breath away, whether you were familiar with it or not. Recall how long you stood in front of it taking it in, analyzing the colors, shapes, context, shadows, subjects, size, truly drinking in its essence and exploring its material being. Remember how you felt in that moment - goosebumps, awe, and if you were really moved, tears. Astonishing, right? Now note, that will never happen with this piece. On March 18th, 1990 thirteen art pieces were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and Rembrandt’s “Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee” was one of the thirteen. None of these pieces have been seen since and there are no leads on where they may be. As we discuss the nuances of this fine painting and look at it online, that is as far as we may ever get. There is something heartbreaking in knowing that one may never get the chance to experience the magnitude of this piece in person again. A reality that not even Rembrandt could have ever accounted for.