ArticleOpen Access http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2026.02.003
Rembrandt’s Drawings and Their Inspiration for Basic Design Education
Zhaofeng Ye
Academy of Fine Arts, China Academy of Art, Hangzhou 310002, Zhejiang, China.
*Corresponding author: Zhaofeng Ye
Published: February 24, 2026
Abstract
In the current era, where artificial intelligence and digital media are reshaping the design creation process, basic design education faces a deep crisis characterized by cognitive laziness, flattened perception, and a decline in creativity. Based on my professional experience and practice in the Department of Basic Teaching at the China Academy of Art, this paper proposes that returning to drawings by Rembrandt, not as a nostalgic act but as a cognitive exercise, is a way to combat digital dependency and reconstruct design subjectivity. Analyzing the design thinking in Rembrandt's drawings, its core lies in the complete thought chain from "seeing" to "foreseeing," showing that his drawings are not merely preparatory sketches or drafts but a highly conscious design process that integrates observation, conceptualization, and expression. "Seeing" emphasizes the "presence" based on scientific perspective and physical observation, while "foreseeing" reflects proactive design in terms of visual guidance, psychological narrative, and visual order. This paper aims to reshape students' depth of perception, structural thinking, and creativity in basic design education, thereby constructing a design thinking model rooted in the real world, with both rational analysis and human warmth in an age dominated by tool rationality.
Keyword
Rembrandt; drawing; design thinking; basic education
References
Cao, Z. W. & Wang, Y. M. (2025). Practical dilemmas and breakthrough paths of sketch teaching in college art majors. University Journal, 34,111-114.
Chang, J. Q. (2025). Research on Rembrandt's sketches (Doctoral dissertation). Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts.
https://doi.org/10.27361/d.cnki.gtmsy.2025.000307
Liu, C. H. (2025). Exploration of design sketch courses in higher education institutions for art and design majors. Daguang, 11,145-147.
Lu, J. (2022). Exploring the transition from study to creation: Research on Rembrandt's icon portraits (Master's thesis). China Art Academy.
Meng, P. P. (2012). A study on the teaching methods of design sketching (Master's thesis). China Academy of Art.
Sha, H. Y. (2005). Reflection on modern art and design education. Decoration, 7, 34.
Wang, S. Z. (2006). History of modern design. China Youth Press.
Wang, Z. Y. & Xu, J. (2002). From sketch to design. China Academy of Art Press.
Zhang, L. Y. (2024). Exploration of flat image expression forms in design sketch teaching. Craftsmanship, 10,70-72.
Copyright
© 2026 by the author(s).
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) license, which permits non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not modified or adapted.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
How to cite this paper
Rembrandt’s Drawings and Their Inspiration for Basic Design Education
How to cite this paper: Zhaofeng Ye. (2026) Rembrandt’s Drawings and Their Inspiration for Basic Design Education. Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Science, 10(2), 127-130.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2026.02.003