REMBRANDT’S LOST SECRET

 Rembrandt’s Lost Secret is a testament to the power of technique in shaping artistic expression. Follow master painter Peter Layne Arguimbau on his journey to expose Jan van Eyck’s “invention of oil painting” dating back to 1410. This “invention”, Flemish Technique, led to the Golden Age of Dutch Art, ending in the 17C with the death of the Old Masters and their precious formulas. Over the course of his painting career, Arguimbau searched high and low for the original formulas— testing period recipes and comparing his exacting copies to the historical record. Finally, after decades of research, a seemingly miraculous act of God transpired. The result being, the Old Master recipes outlined in this book, to be shared with the public for the first time. Beyond his enduring search for these mediums, the book also positions Flemish Technique as an overreaching metaphor for how innovations drove stylistic invention in the classic designs in Renaissance art. Arguimbau’s message is universal: that technology, abstract design and culture are inextricably intertwined. Rembrandt’s Lost Secret is a treasure trove of techniques from the Old Master that evolved into the abstracting of forms to realize the third dimension. A master historical work in his own right, it will serve as a manual for painters, a challenge to art historians and restorers, and for the curious, a window into the Luminist quality of light of the Dutch Masters.