Rembrandt: A Painting Marvel

Everyone has heard of the painter Rembrandt. Perhaps one of his most famous paintings is one called Flora. Flora is a painting of a young woman in a dark room holding some dried flowers in her right hand. A major question people ask when seeing this painting is “Who is the woman?” I am going to suggest that the woman in Flora is Rembrandt’s wife. Rembrandt’s wife was Saskia van Uylenburgh. She was raised by her sister and her sister’s husband. She met Rembrandt at the home of her uncle Hendrick van Uylenburgh. Rembrandt produced paintings for Saskia’s uncle. After Saskia and Rembrandt were married, Saskia posed as a model for many of Rembrandt’s paintings. But if Rembrandt’s wife’s name is Saskia, why did he title the Flora painting Flora? As Rembrandt grew in strength as a painter, his artistic talent increased and he was able to paint in more detail.

Rembrandt, Saskia with Pearls in her Hair, 1634, Etching, 66.521.34

This is the earliest of Rembrandt’s paintings of Saskia. This painting portrays Saskia as an older woman. However, we know that Saskia is only 22 in 1634. Rembrandt and Saskia would have just gotten married. This painting does not look as sophisticated as some of his later works. For instance, what is that additional shadow on the right side? Did Rembrandt put that in on purpose or was that a mistake?

Rembrandt, Self-portrait with Saskia, 1636, etching, 17.37.71

This painting, painted two years after the Saskia with Pearls in her Hair, portrays Rembrandt and a younger-looking Saskia. Her face almost looks like a baby’s face. Saskia is sitting at a table, and Rembrandt is resting his arm on a book. This painting is different than the one before this because Rembrandt looks as if he is protecting Saskia from something. This painting portrays Rembrandt’s increase in skill because there are not as many funky looking shadows. He is also able to create a chair that seems to be emerging out of the background.

Rembrandt, Studies of the Head of Saskia and Others, 1636, etching, 23.51.1

This painting is extremely impressive because it portrays the heads of six people. It is hard to tell which one is supposed to be Saskia. The heads are doing different things as well. The head in the bottom left corner is staring straight at you, while the head in the middle is looking to the bottom right corner. The head in the middle of the bottom row is looking totally away from the artist. The other three are not looking at the artist either. The fact that, not only is Rembrandt is able to paint heads, but he is able to paint them with different facial expressions is absolutely astonishing!

Rembrandt, A Young Woman as a Shepherdess (“Saskia as Flora”), second half of the 1630’s, oil on canvas, 60.71.15

This is the first time Rembrandt has used color up until this point. This portrays a woman who seems to be very tired. She seems to be almost looking at you, but not quite; kind of like the Mona Lisa. Her head is adorned with flowers and she is wearing a gold necklace. Rembrandt has taken a giant artistic leap in going from a fine razor-thin brush to using paint. Because he is using paint, he is able to show the viewer that the woman is in a dark room. If he was using a thin brush and only black ink, he would not be able to show us as fine detail.

Rembrandt, Saskia as St. Catherine, 1638, etching and drypoint, www.mfa.org

This painting is another fine example of Rembrandt’s artistic skill. Not only is he portraying his wife, but he is presenting her as Saint Catherine. The similarities are striking! Both women have on a simple gown. Also both women clasp their hands in a similar manner. However the face is similar to the face in Rembrandt’s Saskia with Pearls in her Hair. This painting is very similar to the Saskia with Pearls in her Hair. He uses fine lines to create the feeling like the woman’s hair is moving.

Rembrandt, Sick Woman with a Large Headdress (Saskia), c. 1641/1642, sketch and study, www.wikiart.org

This Rembrandt painting portrays an older woman who is very sick. Apparently Saskia (Rembrandt’s wife) died in 1642. It is clear that Rembrandt did not put as much detail into these paintings as he did in other ones. He was probably sad that his wife was dying. However, he still uses fine lines to convey a feeling of deep sadness and grief.