How comforting to know that as we grapple with global threats and wars at the beginning of the 21st century we can count on the durability and beauty of human expression. The fact that the Dutch are celebrating 400 years of Rembrandt's impact on art and culture reminds us of our universalities, not our differences.

Radio Netherlands has produced a cornucopia of programming to commemorate their great Baroque master. This documentary is just one of the offerings. (For more programming, see the website.)

Producer Marijke van der Meer has thoroughly researched her subject from biographical notes and stylistic analysis to the changing perceptions of the artist through the ages. It's interesting, for instance, that he was romanticized in the 19th century by a poet as unsentimental as Baudelaire, and worshipped by the tortured Van Gogh, who longed for spiritual nurturing. As the documentary looks back on our recent 20th century history, we can see that Rembrandt was claimed as a Germanic model by the Nazis, and later grabbed by Marxists. Good interviews with experts and nice scripting keep the narrative fresh.

For me, the second half of the program is the most interesting because the producer interviews a Rembrandt copyist, a collector and a curator to inform how the artist resonates today. I appreciate van der Meer's tenacity in getting her subjects to respond in unvarnished ways.

At a time when European nations are reclaiming art from American museums for repatriation, it is refreshing that Radio Netherlands is willing to share its cultural icon with the rest us.