velvet kimono, little black dress, thrifted style, fashion over 40, platform boots, Shelbee on the Edge

Style Imitating Art: Portrait of Saskia van Uylenburgh (1633-34) by Rembrandt & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #259

January 24, 2022 / 52 Comments
velvet kimono, little black dress, thrifted style, fashion over 40, platform boots, Shelbee on the Edge
velvet kimono, little black dress, thrifted style, fashion over 40, platform boots, Shelbee on the Edge
velvet kimono, little black dress, thrifted style, fashion over 40, platform boots, Shelbee on the Edge
velvet kimono, little black dress, thrifted style, fashion over 40, platform boots, Shelbee on the Edge
velvet kimono, little black dress, thrifted style, fashion over 40, platform boots, Shelbee on the Edge
velvet kimono, little black dress, thrifted style, fashion over 40, platform boots, Shelbee on the Edge

About Style Imitating Art

Guess who is the new co-host for Style Imitating Art?! That would be this girl! I am so excited to join Salazar and Terri for this fun and inspiring series. I have been participating with them for the last year and when Salazar was looking for a new co-host, I volunteered faster than you can say Style Imitating Art! You can see all of my outfits for this series on my Style Imitating Art page.

Style Imitating Art is hosted by Salazar of 14 Shades of Grey, Terri of MeadowTree Style, and Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge. Style Imitating Art challenges us to draw style inspiration from pieces of art. Every other Monday, one of the hosts, acting as curator, selects an inspiration image that they will each post on their blogs. The following Monday, each host shares her art inspired outfit. Participants are invited to submit their art inspired outfits to the curator by 10:00 p.m. EST on the Tuesday following the hosts’ art inspired outfit posts. The following day, Wednesday, the curator will share all of the submissions on her blog.

You don’t have to be a blogger to join! You are invited to share your images on Instagram or other social media platforms. Just be sure to tag Salazar, Terri, and Shelbee or use #TeamLOTSStyle and #StyleImitatingArt so the hosts know you have joined. Go have some fun in your closets and join the SIA challenge next week!

The Inspiration Artwork

The inspiration artwork was curated by Terri of MeadowTree Style. You can read why she has chosen this specific piece as her inspiration artwork here.

Portrait of Saskia van Uylenburgh, painted during 1633-34 by Rembrandt (Oil on Oak Wood, 1633-34)
Portrait of Saskia van Uylenburgh
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velvet kimono, little black dress, thrifted style, fashion over 40, platform boots, Shelbee on the Edge, Style Imitating Art, Portrait of Saskia van Uylenburgh by Rembrandt
About the Artist: Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (July 15, 1606-October 4, 1669), usually known simply as Rembrandt, was a Dutch artist during the Golden Age who possessed an innovative and prolific mastery of three separate mediums…painting, printmaking, and drawing. In the realm of art history, Rembrandt is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists to have ever lived. He is also recognized as the most important artist in Dutch art history.

Rembrandt was born on July 15, 1606, in Leiden, Dutch Republic (now the Netherlands), the ninth child of a well off miller and his wife, a baker’s daughter. As a young boy, he attended Latin school, and then enrolled in the University of Leiden at the age of 13 where he exhibited a great inclination towards painting. He had a few apprenticeships with skilled painters before opening his own studio in 1624 or 1625 when he was just 18 or 19 years old. In 1627, at the age of 21, he began accepting students under his own tutelage.

In 1629, Rembrandt was discovered by a Dutch statesmen who procured important commissions for him from the court of The Hague. This connection resulted in Prince Frederick Hendrik becoming a Rembrandt fan who continued purchasing paintings from him until 1646.

Rembrandt moved to Amsterdam in 1631 and began a very successful practice as a professional portraitist. In 1634, he married Saskia van Uylenburgh, the cousin of his art dealer roommate Hendrick van Uylenburgh. They moved into their own home in 1635 and although they were an affluent couple at this time, they were not immune from life’s tragedies. Their son Rumbartus died in 1635 at the age of 2 months followed by the death of their 3 week old daughter Cornelia in 1638. They had a second daughter, also named Cornelia, in 1640, who died just shortly after a month of life. Their fourth child Titus, born in 1641, was the only child to survive into adulthood. However, Saskia died soon after Titus was born, likely due to tuberculosis.

During Saskia’s illness, Geertje Dircx was hired to care for Titus and soon became Rembrandt’s lover. She was eventually committed to an asylum with the assistance of Rembrandt himself and then he subsequently began a relationship with his much younger maid, Hendrickje Stoffels, in the late 1640’s. In 1654, they had a daughter, also name Cornelia. They lived together as common law spouses until her death in 1663. They were never married because Rembrandt would have lost access to Titus’s trust that was established in Saskia’s will.

Rembrandt outlived all three of his great loves as well as his son Titus who passed away in 1668 leaving behind a baby daughter. On October 4, 1669, less than a year after his son died, Rembrandt passed away at the age of 63 leaving behind a 400 year old legacy that has shaped the history of art.

Considering the volumes of written work that exist about Rembrandt, I am going to stop here. There is so much fascinating information out there that is worth reading if you are interested in learning more.

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velvet kimono, little black dress, thrifted style, fashion over 40, platform boots, Shelbee on the Edge
velvet kimono, little black dress, thrifted style, fashion over 40, platform boots, Shelbee on the Edge
velvet kimono, little black dress, thrifted style, fashion over 40, platform boots, Shelbee on the Edge
velvet kimono, little black dress, thrifted style, fashion over 40, platform boots, Shelbee on the Edge
About the Art: Portrait of Saskia van Uylenburgh, painted during 1633-34

Rembrandt painted many portraits of his wife, including the curated work for this week’s Style Imitating Art prompt. In typical Rembrandt portrait style, he angles the subject’s face in a way so that the nose creates a distinct line of demarcation between the brightly illuminated area and the shadowy area of the work. A face painted by Rembrandt will nearly always be partially eclipsed in shadow with a bright and obvious nose serving as the central focus for the viewer.

This particular painting is oil on oak wood and measures 99.5 cm (39.1 in) in height and 78.8 cm (31 in) in width. The work is currently part of the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister collection in Germany which is based on the private art collection of William VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel.

Resources/References:

velvet kimono, little black dress, thrifted style, fashion over 40, platform boots, Shelbee on the Edge
velvet kimono, little black dress, thrifted style, fashion over 40, platform boots, Shelbee on the Edge
velvet kimono, little black dress, thrifted style, fashion over 40, platform boots, Shelbee on the Edge
velvet kimono, little black dress, thrifted style, fashion over 40, platform boots, Shelbee on the Edge
About My Outfit Inspired by Portrait of Saskia van Uylenburgh, painted during 1633-34

I was really intrigued by the dark moody colors and rich textures that appear in this painting. The fabrics of Saskia’s dress appear to be velvets and silks with lots of extra adornments in gold, pearls, and feathers. I recently scored this gorgeous mustard colored velvet kimono from Target and I knew immediately I was going to incorporate it into this look. I also knew immediately that this super old dollar bin necklace from Walmart was going to make an appearance as well.

Wanting to pull in the dark shades of burgundy that dominate Saskia’s attire, I opted for over the knee platform boots in burgundy and other hints of burgundy in my hat and gloves. Big bold jewelry in gold and pearls seemed perfectly suited to match Saskia’s accessories game and a black bodycon dress laid the foundation to echo the black background of the painting. I scored this amazing Zara dress on a thrifting adventure a while back. You can see how I styled it with a red cape here.

I didn’t have anything feathery to add in but I think the tiny bit of faux furriness on the cuffs of my gloves does the trick in a perfectly subtle way.

I loved the final outfit result of this style challenge so much. The rich colors and textures made me feel so cozy and dramatic. I did end up wearing this outfit for a dinner date the same day I shot these photos. So that made me super happy!

velvet kimono, little black dress, thrifted style, fashion over 40, platform boots, Shelbee on the Edge
velvet kimono, little black dress, thrifted style, fashion over 40, platform boots, Shelbee on the Edge
velvet kimono, little black dress, thrifted style, fashion over 40, platform boots, Shelbee on the Edge
velvet kimono, little black dress, thrifted style, fashion over 40, platform boots, Shelbee on the Edge
velvet kimono, little black dress, thrifted style, fashion over 40, platform boots, Shelbee on the Edge
velvet kimono, little black dress, thrifted style, fashion over 40, platform boots, Shelbee on the Edge
velvet kimono, little black dress, thrifted style, fashion over 40, platform boots, Shelbee on the Edge
velvet kimono, little black dress, thrifted style, fashion over 40, platform boots, Shelbee on the Edge
velvet kimono, little black dress, thrifted style, fashion over 40, platform boots, Shelbee on the Edge
velvet kimono, little black dress, thrifted style, fashion over 40, platform boots, Shelbee on the Edge

To see more outfits inspired by Rembrandt’s Portrait of Saskia van Uylenburgh, painted during 1633-34, please visit Terri’s post for the complete roundup of submissions. You can also read the details of Terri’s own inspired outfit here and Salazar’s here. Have you joined the Style Imitating Art challenges yet? Be sure to check for the next prompt on Monday, January 31, 2022. I will be curating my first artwork as a co-host!

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Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

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Outfit Details: Kimono and Velvet Scarf-Target / Dress-Zara (Thrifted) / Boots-Shoe Dazzle / Necklace-Walmart / Hat and Gloves-Wona Trading / Bracelets and Earrings-Old

I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.

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