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6 Self-Portraits Celebrate Rembrandt's Birthday | GIF Six-Pack

Four centuries after Rembrandt revolutionized the self-portrait, GIF artists are doing the same.

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If Rembrandt van Rijn were alive, today would be his 410th birthday and he'd probably be pretty freaked out by GIFs. On the other hand, he might have loved the GIF'd version of his Self-Portrait with Beret and Turned-Up Collar (1659) by G1ft3d.

New research reminds us that Rembrandt was a scientist and inventor himself. Painter and optical researcher Francis O'Neil suggests that the Dutch Master may have employed a system of concave and flat mirrors to create traceable projections. This technique could be what made his accurate mid-laugh portraits of himself possible.

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In honor of the man who put so much effort into capturing the perfect selfie, we've gathered self-portraits from some of our favorite GIF artists, including Leandro Estrella, Sam Cannon, and Cari Vander Yacht.

James Neilson

Sam Cannon

Leandro Estrella

Doctor Popular

Cari Vander Yacht

See more GIFs on GIPHY.

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