Discomfort and inconvenience

Summary

Rembrandt wanted to paint a picture: ‘Joseph tells Jacob his dream.’ It was intended to be a big painting, which meant its composition had to be well thought-out. So Rembrandt prepared for it by making several sketches.

The first shows Jacob sitting comfortably, with little Benjamin between his knees, listening to Joseph as he stands before him telling him his dream. It promised to be a beautiful painting. Everyone would immediately understand what it was about. But Rembrandt wasn't content. The second sketch shows Jacob sitting once again, and again with Benjamin between his legs; but now Joseph is standing to the right, so that Jacob has to turn away from Benjamin to listen to him. It's less comfortable, but for this very reason it makes what Joseph is saying seem all the more important. So it was better – but still not interesting enough for Rembrandt. The third version shows Jacob seated, but with his back half-turned to Joseph, and Benjamin is no longer between his knees but is leaning against his left side while Joseph stands to the right. Now Jacob has to twist himself away from Benjamin in order to devote his attention to Joseph. It looks very uncomfortable as he sits with half-open mouth, listening to what his son has to say. This makes the figure of Jacob highly expressive and intensifies our interest in Joseph as well, because one doesn't accept this degree of discomfort if what is said isn't of great importance.

The comfortable is the enemy of expression – or, to put it another way: the greater the discomfort, the more intense the expression. And discomfort isn't just about bodily posture. In spatial terms, it is also possible to position yourself in a way that's either comfortable or uncomfortable. A miscreant answering to an inquisitor behind him – thus out of his sight – will certainly not regard his position as comfortable. The same is true when a conflict takes place among people in pouring rain, or in a boat being tossed about by waves.