"The Storm on the Sea of Galilee"

The painting, in vertical format, shows a close-up view of Christ's disciples struggling frantically against the heavy storm to regain control of their fishing boat. A huge wave beats the bow and rips the sail. One of the disciples is seen vomiting over the side. Another one, looking directly at the viewer, is a self-portrait of the artist. Only Christ, depicted on the right, remains calm.

Rembrandt employed tenebrism (a style of dramatic illustration with stark contrasts of light and dark), as a way to emphasize visually Christ’s miracle in calming the sea. Light emanates from the upper left of the painting, and a glimpse of the blue sky may be seen through the storm. As the scene moves toward the right, the boat and the crew are thrown back into shadow.