Rembrandt's Whore

The book "Rembrandt's Whore" by Sylvie Matton, looks at the relationship between Rembrandt and his servant and lover Hendrickje Stoffels. The story is told through the words of Hendrickje although she admits that she can not read or write. On some the pages she is relating her feelings to Rembrandt and in other parts of the book she is observing him. Her life story demonstrates the power of society on your life. Now a days we often believe love is all you need. That outsiders can't hurt you. When she moved into Rembrandt's house she was just a servant. Next she became a model for his paintings, and then one day he kissed her. In this story she declared that she loved him and his son.

He had been married before, but his wife Saskia had died seven years before Hendrickje came to the house. Rembrandt loved her even after her passing and kissed her lips in the pictures he had painted of her. Rembrandt shared with Hendrickje some of his memories about his ex wife. Despite the title of the story she was not being paid for sex., There was a honest relationship between them. She took Titus (Rembrandt's son) to the zoo and cared for him like a mother.

The society and church considered her to be a whore, because they were not married and she was having his child.. Rembrandt's ex wife in her will said that if he remarried he had to make a donation of 20,000 florins to the chamber of orphans He could not afford to do this.

One dealer told Rembrandt that his dealing with low life people hurt the art business. People still wanted to be immortalized and live for years through their image in the painting, but Rembrandt had more debt then funds on hand. He put some things in his son's name and declared bankruptcy. At this time it was believed that a bankrupt man had been abandoned by God. This of course also offended potential patrons. It was then that he found out who his true friends were. The people who could think for themselves and not just blindly follow the norms of society. His son and his supposed whore stood by him and made sure he had food and shelter and a place to paint. Now a days many people have children without getting married and nobody considers them a whore. But I can not help but admire the strength of both Rembrandt and Hendrickje. They were both great role models of following your own values instead of being molded by the norms of your society. When I decluttered my apartment this is one of the few books I kept, it gave, me strength to stick to my ideals ,and not settle for a relationship to just fit the norms. Of course I am still single,and not even dating. but not everybody finds true love. I do not have to follow societies norms