Double Self Exhibition by Christine Gendre-Bergere

Printmaker and artist Christine Gendre-Bergere is currently exhibiting Double self (in French Double je) in honor of the 340th anniversary of Rembrandt's death. Her exhibition at Galerie La Hune Brenner in Paris includes nine intaglio prints based on a series of Rembrandt's self portraits from 1630 to 1658.

Her Rembrandt portfolio includes some citations (below) from the 17th century philosopher Baruch de Spinoza from his Short Treatise on God, Man and His Well-Being. Spinoza alludes to the body and soul as the "double self." Christine said she included both men because Rembrandt had supposedly painted a portrait of Spinoza (David Playing Harp in Front of Saul) during their lifetime. although no one knows if they actually met, they both confronted the ongoing financial, religious, social, and political powers, reflecting similar beliefs. They chose to live their lives in their own way.

Why philosophers have confused mind with corporeal things
Here the only requirement is that everyone should attend to his perceptions as accurately as possible, so that he may distinguish what is clear from what is obscure.

Whence it clearly follows that the natural love which prompts everything to preserve its body cannot have any other origin than in the Idea or the « objective » essance of such body which is in the thinking attribute.

Now we shall presuppose here, as something already demonstrated, that extension contains no other modes than the motion and rest, and that every particular material thing is nothing else than a certain proportion of motion and rest, so much so indeed that, even if extension contained nothing else except motion only and rest only, then no particular thing could be shown or exist in the whole of extension ; the human body therefore, is nothing else than a certain proportion of motion and rest.

The followikng prints are 38 cm x 56 cm, with plate size 30 cm x 20 cm. They were printed in an edition of ten on 300 g. Magnani Pescia paper.

Christine Gendre-Bergere. R. 1630(a), 2009.
Etching and mezzotint.

Christine Gendre-Bergere. R. 1630(b), 2009.
Etching, mezzotint and soft ground, 2 plates, 2 colors.

Christine Gendre-Bergere. R. 1639(a), 2009.
Etching and mezzotint, 2 plates, 2 colors.

Christine Gendre-Bergere. R. 1639(b), 2009.
Etching, soft ground and direct bite, 3 plates, 2 colors.

Christine Gendre-Bergere. R. 1651(a), 2009.
Etching, 2 plates, 2 colors.

Christine Gendre-Bergere. R. 1651(b), 2009.
Etching, soft ground and direct bite, 2 plates, 2 colors.

Christine Gendre-Bergere. R. 1658(a), 2009.
Etching, 2 plates, 2 colors.

Christine Gendre-Bergere. R. 1658(b), 2009.
Etching, soft ground and direct bite, 2 plates, 2 colors.

Christine Gendre-Bergere. R. 1658(fin), 2009.
Etching, soft ground and direct bite, 2 plates, 2 colors.