Rembrandt van Rijn

For his use of sketchy lines and imaginative compositions, as seen in this print, Rembrandt was a hero to many 19th-century French printmakers who emulated his work and saw him as a source of inspiration. He was among the earliest artists to consider etching as important as his work in other media. The unfinished appearance of this image, in which the central tree is highly detailed but the saint and his pet lion remain unresolved, in particular encouraged many artists to explore a similar aesthetic in their work.