Rembrandt van Rijn, one of the big masters of the Dutch Golden Age and Baroque art, is known for his masterful portraits with unique and very realistic facial expressions. Known by many as the chronicler of the human face, like many other iconic artists Rembrandt had a tragic life full of sorrows. One of the happiest yet tragic episodes in his life was without a doubt his short marriage to Saskia von Uylenburgh, the love of his life and his muse.
Rembrandt’s art evolution, beyond his impressive technique, was marked, in a way, by his relationship with Saskia. His themes, his model, and even the techniques vary during the time of their marriage, making their story one of the most beautiful ones in the art world and one of the most tragic ones.
Saskia von Uylenburgh was a wealthy young woman from a small city in the Netherlands called Leeuwarden. Rembrandt was a commoner with an unparalleled talent willing to take his art to the top of the top. Saskia was the daughter of a respected judge and mayor but tragedy would mark her life from the very beginning when she lost her mother at the age of 7 and her father at 12. She was brought up by one of her sisters, and from a very early age, she let out her fearless and bubbly personality.
Like any other young woman during the seventeenth century, Saskia was expected to marry well and carry out with her notable name, but she wasn’t like any other woman, she was determined to be happy and live outside the box. Enters the young Rembrandt full of dreams and already making a good name for himself. He had already sold some paintings and was getting to be known by the Dutch elites but he had still a long way to go to become the Rembrandt that we still celebrate today.
One good day in 1633, Saskia decided to pay a visit to her cousin living in Amsterdam. Coincidence or not, Hendrick was an art dealer who had offered a young portraitist to live with him to work on some artworks he was willing to sell. The young couple met and it seemed it had been love at first sight because regardless of what her family would say about dating the son of a miller, Saskia and Rembrandt got engaged that same year. As a matter of fact, the very first painting he would make of Saskia was done three days before the engagement, and she looked radiant.
Saskia and Rembrandt got married the next year in 1634 and soon started to live the idyllic life as any young couple in love does. That same year, Rembrandt painted one of Saskia’s most famous paintings representing her as Flora, the mythological goddess of flowers. It seemed their happiness wasn’t going anywhere as she was showing a big bump on her belly. She was pregnant with their first child. But remember we said this was a tragic story, and as it happens with any important tragedy theirs was about to start.
They had chosen the name Rumbertus, after Saskia’s father, for their firstborn, but unfortunately, he died right after birth. She had two more children, two girls, who passed only a few days after birth. It would be their fourth son, Titus, the only one to survive childhood, and who like his father became a painter.
However, as if their story was that of a series of unfortunate events, Saskia passed some months after Titus was born in 1642; the same year Rembrandt finished his iconic piece The Night Watch. Saskia was only 29 years old. It is unknown what Saskia died from. It’s suggested it might’ve been tuberculosis or even the plague, what is known is that Rembrandt had lost the love of his life and was now in charge of a baby boy. From this on everything in his life would go downhill.
As mentioned, Saskia had a huge impact on his art evolution and work. She was his favorite subject with tons of etchings, oils, and paintings devoted to her. He even made one last sketch portraying both of them on her last days. After her death, Rembrandt stopped doing oils for several years. She was his happiness and drive. Not only that, his style changed to one more obscure and dark mostly portraying the grief and solitude he was living.
As a consequence of his changing of style, Rembrandt’s business started to flop. He and Titus were forced to sell their house and move to the poorest area of the city, he would sell cheap all his remaining work, and in the most saddening and tragic episode, he even was forced to sell his beloved Saskia’s grave.
He lived a miserable life for his remaining years taking to mistresses to try to relieve his pain, but none of them managed to take the spot Saskia left. Still, he devoted his life to giving Titus the best life he could but being as damaged and hurt as he was, he never managed to give him the love he deserved.
Rembrandt von Rijn died at the age of 63 bankrupted, destitute from the fame and respect he once had, and more importantly, without the company of the only person he had loved.