Book excerpt: A graphic biography of the Dutch master. Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) is a towering figure in European art history: a virtuoso painter, draftsman, and etcher whose enduring influence can be seen in the work of artists from J.M.W. Turner to Francis Bacon and beyond. A prolific self-portraitist, Rembrandt is a deeply familiar figureand yet little is known of his life and character. In this first graphic biography of the Dutch master, Typex pieces together the facts that are known about Rembrandts life to weave a captivating story about a millers son who, after a brief spell of fame, suffered the fate of so many artists: financial ruin. It is a story about life and death, love and bereavement, success and loss. Commissioned by Amsterdams Rijksmuseum, home of the worlds largest and most important Rembrandt collection, this landmark graphic biography brings to life a complex and contradictory charactera vain man who celebrated human imperfection, and an arrogant genius who painted with extraordinary empathy.