Rembrandt had more self-portraits than his paintings

Rembrandt van Rijn was not only one of the greatest artists of all time, but he also painted the most self-portraits of any artist known to history.

These self-portraits included 80 to 90 paintings, drawings, and etchings completed over a 30-year period beginning in the 1620s and ending in the year he died. Recent scholarship has revealed that some of the paintings previously thought to be by Rembrandt were actually painted by one of his students as part of his training, but Rembrandt is thought to have painted between 40 and 50 self-portraits, seven drawings, and 32 etchings.

The self-portraits depict Rembrandt's face from his early twenties until his death at the age of 63. Viewers have a unique insight into the man's life, character, and psychological development because there are so many that can be viewed together and compared with each other, a perspective of which the artist was profoundly aware and that he intentionally gave the viewer, as though a more thoughtful and studied precursor to the modern selfie. He not only painted self-portraits in rapid succession throughout his life, but he also helped advance his career and shape his public image.

Rembrandt had more self-portraits than his paintings. The majority of his self-portraits can be found all over the world. Selfies, according to art critics, were invented by him. Different emotions were depicted in the self-portraits. He applied oil paint directly to the canvas with a palette knife.