Q2

[ptraye]

I chose the correct answer, but I am confused by what the passage says in lines 13-19.

It seems to me that Schwartz is saying Rembrandt did not get along with "circle of patrons," being either his clients, or fellows in his business. Then, Alpers says "Rembrandt refused to submit to the prevailing patronage system." That doesn't seem contradictory to me. It seems Alpers is also saying that Rembrandt did not get along with his patrons.

Am I interpreting these lines incorrectly?

[ohthatpatrick]

Yes, you're slightly interpreting them wrong.

Schwartz argues that Rembrandt had a "complicated relationship with a wide circle of patrons" ... that could mean there were some good things and bad things about their relationship (surely, we all have a friend who loves his/her significant other but fights with him/her a lot and would describe their relationship as "complicated").

Alpers is saying that Rembrandt took no part of the patronage system. (or to continue the analogy, Alpers is saying that Rembrandt was single).

So the contradiction is that Schwartz says that Rembrandt was heavily intertwined with relationships with patrons, while Alpers maintains that Rembrandt avoided dealing with patrons altogether.

Hence, (D).

[ptraye]

thanks, i understand the distinction now.