HANOVER, N.H. In honor of Rembrandt's four hundreth birthday this year, the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College joins the ranks of museums worldwide to celebrate the master printmaker through exhibitions and programs. The Hood presents Rembrandt: Master of Light and Shadow; Etchings from the Collection of the Hood Museum of Art through September 17. The exhibition features thirty-six etchings and drypoints by the most inventive and original printmaker of all time.

Rembrandt thought about printmaking in new ways, offering the viewer not only carefully finished masterpieces but also more roughly sketched works that reveal his artistic processes. Throughout his career, Rembrandt continued to devise solutions to the problem of depicting light and shadow with the printed line. The Hood Museum of Art's collection of Rembrandt etchings spans his life's work, providing an overview of thirty years of his evolving ideas about printmaking.

On July 15, Rembrandt's official birthday, the Hood will celebrate Rembrandt with a public birthday bash. The exhibition is organized thematically to focus on his wide-ranging intellectual curiosity, reflected in his passion for portraits, landscapes, biblical stories, and mythological and allegorical scenes. A special niche will feature a copper etching plate and prints at various stages to illustrate the etching process. Complimentary brochures authored by Dr. Stacey Sell of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., and Dartmouth Class of 1985, will be available in the galleries.