Rembrandt, The Night Watch, oil on canvas, 1642.
(Photo: Public Domain, viaWikimedia Commons.)
Rembrandt van Rijnwas one of the most prolific artists of the Dutch Golden Age.
Rembrandt, “The Night Watch,” oil on canvas, 1642. (Photo: Public Domain, viaWikimedia Commons.)
Completed in 1652, this massive work is one of the hallmarks of the Dutch Golden Age.
Who was Rembrandt?
Rembrandt, Self-Portrait with Two Circles, oil on canvas, c.16651669.
Rembrandt, “Self-Portrait with Two Circles,” oil on canvas, c.1665–1669. (Photo: Public Domain, viaWikimedia Commons.)
(Photo: Public Domain, viaWikimedia Commons.)
During this era, artists like Rembrandt andVermeerfound inspiration inNorthern Renaissancepainting techniques.
Unlike many of his contemporaries, Rembrandt never studied or even traveled abroad.
Left: Captain Frans Banninck Cocq | Right: Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburch. Detail of “The Night Watch,” oil on canvas, 1642. (Photo: Public Domain, viaWikimedia Commons.)
However, he was able to spread his artwork and increase his reputation by selling etchings and other prints.
CommissioningThe Night Watch
Left: Captain Frans Banninck Cocq | Right: Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburch.
Detail of The Night Watch, oil on canvas, 1642.
Left: Captain Frans Banninck Cocq | Right: Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburch.Detail of “The Night Watch,” oil on canvas, 1642. (Photo: Public Domain, viaWikimedia Commons.)
(Photo: Public Domain, viaWikimedia Commons.)
(Photo: Public Domain, viaWikimedia Commons.)
Rembrandt usescompositionas well aslight and shadowto create a hierarchy withinThe Night Watch.
Detail of “The Night Watch,” oil on canvas, 1642. (Photo: Public Domain, viaWikimedia Commons.)
Detail of The Night Watch, oil on canvas, 1642.
(Photo: Public Domain, viaWikimedia Commons.)
She serves as the symbolic mascot.
Right: Possible self-portrait of Rembrandt. Detail of “The Night Watch,” oil on canvas, 1642. (Photo: Public Domain, viaWikimedia Commons.)
Right: Possible self-portrait of Rembrandt.
Detail of The Night Watch, oil on canvas, 1642.
(Photo: Public Domain, viaWikimedia Commons.)
‘The Night Watch' in the Rijksmuseum Gallery in Amsterdam (Photo:Stock Photosfrom Alexander Tolstykh/Shutterstock)
Several men are carrying spears while some appear to be walking.
Many of them are gesturing in specific directions, and one is lifting a flag.
Incredibly, all of the figures are rendered at almost life-size.
In July 2019, the painting was launched into another, more extensive restoration by theRijksmuseum.
