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May 2006

• Reproductions make top art accessible to the broader public. All of the paintings of Rembrandt van Rijn in one exhibition
• EPSON^® Director, Minoru Usui, receives award for Micro Piezo technology

Reproductions make top art accessible to the broader public. All of the paintings of Rembrandt van Rijn in one exhibition

When the Rembrandt exhibition opens on 7 July in the Beurs van Berlage (Berlage Exhibition Centre) in Amsterdam (The Netherlands) it will also offer a number of surprises. The luxuriant brushwork and rich colours used in his work ensures that the ‘Dutch master of light’ commands your respect.  The great number of works on display also demands admiration, it features all of Rembrandt van Rijn’s known paintings.  A further unique factor of this exhibition is that you will be taken on a journey through the life of Rembrandt as you view his paintings in chronological order. The greatest surprise is perhaps that none of the work you see is the original, although unnoticeable to the naked eye, each work of art is a piece-by-piece life-like reproduction, printed at actual-size from an Epson Stylus Pro 9800, UltraChrome K3, large format printer.

Less cost, more enjoyment
Rembrandt van Rijn was born 400 years ago on 15 July 1606, in Leiden, the Netherlands. His world-famous works are spread throughout many museums and private collections across the world. It is therefore almost impossible to gather many, let alone all of his work together for one exhibition. There are however transparent slides of most of his art available, which are much easier to collate. Therefore it is now possible to create digital files of the art and print actual-size reproductions.  Thanks to the Epson print-technology you can now get closer than ever before to the light-fall and examine the brush strokes close-up, without being warned-off by a museum attendant. The reproductions offer many opportunities. Details on the paintings can be made clearer by making them lighter or clearer for the viewer or by enlarging a particular detail and displaying it next to the exposed work.

Quality for the broader public
The quality and professionalism associated with Rembrandt and his importance to the art world were, for Epson, the impetus in sponsoring the exhibition. Peter Paul Bénard, Country Manager for Epson Benelux: “It is well-known that we are very positive about sponsoring projects that appeal to a broad public and exude quality. From the reactions, it seems that people experience our reproductions as nothing less than the original work. They appreciate the natural colours and contrasts and the all but perceptible relief of the brush-strokes and the etchings.”

Organisation
“We chose Epson, because it excels in craftsmanship and quality and is a leader in the area of the latest digital imaging technology. Its print-techniques, coupled with the skills of the old master, are for us a guarantee of delivering the astonishing results that we desire for our show”, says the organiser of Rembrandt, All His Paintings: Boomerang, Local World and the Beurs van Berlage.

Award winning technology
The Epson UltraChrome K3 ink-technology used to print the Rembrandt works of art is an 8-colour ink set with three black inks, as well as a full set of colour inks.  The three black inks offer more neutral gradations in colour and black & white prints, resulting in life-like replication of skin tones required by commercial and professional artists and photographers. The third black ink – light light black – gives excellent greyscale performance and smoother tonal reproduction for the ultimate in high quality black & white and colour printing. UltraChrome K3 ink is highly light, gas and water resistant, resulting in a lifespan of up to 75 years in colour and over 100 years in black & white.
The result is a work of art that can barely be differentiated from the original and gives a stable and colourfast image in the short and long term.

The Rembrandt Exhibition, All His Paintings runs from 7 July until 3 September in the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam (The Netherlands)