Wanda Swiderski
Welcome
Dear Readers,
A website is a great way to learn about a novel and what went into its creation. It is also a means for readers to explore their deep passion for the written word and their desire to know more about people and places. Launched in 2026, I am pleased to introduce Becoming Rembrandt, a novel about the great Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn. In many ways, the novel is about the impact of learning: how it shapes our understanding of the world we live in and changes us as people.
Like Shakespeare, much about Rembrandt’s life remains a mystery. Using what is known and the imagination, Rembrandt’s world comes to life within the pages of Becoming Rembrandt and reveals what it takes for a person to reach his potential— even when he doesn’t fit into his social milieu— through dedication and hard work, a willingness to learn and grow, and the strength to face life’s challenges. From boy to man, from apprentice to artist, as it is written, Rembrandt’s journey is timeless and a lesson in perseverance.
As you delve into the novel Becoming Rembrandt and the pages of this website, may your journey ignite your imagination of Rembrandt and his artwork and intrigue your curiosity to learn more about his extraordinary life.
Happy reading!
Becoming Rembrandt
LEIDEN, THE NETHERLANDS, 1616:
THE DUTCH GOLDEN ERA
Composed with vibrant historical and cultural detail, Becoming Rembrandt is a novel about the artist’s life that sheds light on his formative years from ten to seventeen. From apprentice to artist, from boy to man, Rembrandt learns what it means to endure.
At age fourteen, Rembrandt begins a three-year apprenticeship with Jacob van Swanenburg, which transforms his artistic and professional development. Rembrandt learns foundational drawing and painting skills, and the reader witnesses his education in the workshop of a great Dutch master. However, the artist’s journey is not without trials and tribulations, as Rembrandt struggles with personal isolation and the pressures of public engagement.
Rembrandt grows into a young man and seeks personal independence as his country seeks to stand on its own, free from Spanish rule. The creation of the Dutch East India Company in 1602 and military success in the war against Spain usher in an age of political self-rule and material wealth. When Rembrandt begins his journey, the world of art is on fire around him, and he longs to be part of it. However, his world presents obstacles: consumption threatens the community, hard work brings physical vulnerability, and religious tensions between Catholics and Protestants persist. Additionally, the Twelve-Year Truce with Spain is about to end, and the threat of political turmoil, once again, looms over the Netherlands. As his country fights for home rule, Rembrandt reaches for his own independence.
Like Shakespeare, much about Rembrandt’s life remains a mystery. Using what is known and the imagination, a compelling portrait of his world emerges within the pages of Becoming Rembrandt. Rembrandt’s life as a boy—his coming of age and his becoming an artist—unfolds before our eyes. His journey reveals what it takes for a person to reach his potential—even when he doesn’t fit into his social milieu—through dedication and hard work, a willingness to learn and grow, and the strength to face life’s challenges. As written, Rembrandt’s journey is timeless and a lesson in perseverance for us all.
Wanda Swiderski
Wanda Swiderski is an educator, writer, and art researcher who holds two degrees from McGill University—a Bachelor of Education in the teaching of English and a Master of Education in School Administration. After several years as a successful teacher, Wanda pursued her interest in school administration and held leadership positions in two prestigious Independent Schools in the Montreal area, as assistant principal of Queen of Angels Academy in Dorval, Québec and as Director of the Senior School of The Study in Westmount, Québec. In 2015, after an additional year of study in museology, Wanda became a docent and member of the Association of Volunteer Guides of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, where she had the pleasure of sharing the museum’s collections with visitors for several years. She lives with her husband Nick De Pinto in Saint-Laurent, Québec.
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