"The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp"

"The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp" is an oil painting by Rembrandt in 1632. Rembrandt's painting mirrors the secularist approach to learning during the Renaissance. Secularism is a way of thinking in a non-religious way. This painting was non-religious in subject matter. The people in the Renaissance started to inquire about the world around them. Instead of people accepting that God made everything, they started to look at the Ancient Greek and Roman studies to find other pieces of knowledge such as medicine. This painting shows the secularist approach to learning during the Renaissance because its showing the growth of scientific knowledge. It shows a group of medical specialists dissecting a body of a burglar who has "a cheap soul." The men were dissecting the arm to see how the muscles of the arms form and work. This shows a secularist approach because people started to discover by themselves other than accepting that fact that God made everything. This painting shows interest in the human body but other paintings mirror many other topics and facts that came alive during the Renaissance.