Famous Art 19

The Night Watch ; 1642 ; Rembrandt van Rijn

From the first time my Art Appreciation teacher introduced this painting to demonstrate lighting techniques, I've been intrigued by the lack of light source, even though light plays a prominent role in its setting. It wasn't until years later I actually stumbled upon an article stating the setting of this painting wasn't at night, but during the day. To my delight (because I love to find these interesting little tidbits out about the art or the literature I consume), the accepted and most known title of this painting has become a misnomer. The build up of dust, residue, and varnish over the years has caused this painting to look much darker than Rembrandt intended, even though he specifically spotlighted certain characters in the painting using an unknown light source. 

With my own drawings and colorings (I haven't attempted painting yet, but I know I soon will), I still struggle with creating realistic lighting. It appears to be a simple concept, but even with an actual model, I cannot seem to recreate a properly lit scene, or reproduce a facial expression created by shadow or shade. But who knows, maybe after years of collecting dust on my walls or in my collection binders, my drawings and colorings will gain natural lighting or shading, and they will be similarly misnamed by the people who find them.

Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq, also known as The Shooting Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch, but commonly referred to as The Night Watch, is a 1642 painting by Rembrandt van Rijn. It is in the collection of the Amsterdam Museum but is prominently displayed in the Rijksmuseum as the best-known painting in its collection. The Night Watch is one of the most famous Dutch Golden Age paintings.

The painting is famous for three things: its colossal size (11.91 ft × 14.34 ft), the dramatic use of light and shadow (tenebrism), and the perception of motion in what would have traditionally been a static military group portrait. The painting was completed in 1642 at the peak of the Dutch Golden Age. It depicts the eponymous company moving out, led by Captain Frans Banninck Cocq (dressed in black, with a red sash) and his lieutenant, Willem van Ruytenburch (dressed in yellow, with a white sash). With effective use of sunlight and shade, Rembrandt leads the eye to the three most important characters among the crowd: the two men in the center (from whom the painting gets its original title), and the woman in the center-left background carrying a chicken. Behind them, the company's colors are carried by the ensign, Jan Visscher Cornelissen. The figures are almost life-size.

Rembrandt has displayed the traditional emblem of the arquebusiers in a natural way, with the woman in the background carrying the main symbols. She is a kind of mascot herself; the claws of a dead chicken on her belt represent the clauweniers (arquebusiers), the pistol behind the chicken represents clover, and she is holding the militia's goblet. The man in front of her is wearing a helmet with an oak leaf, a traditional motif of the arquebusiers. The dead chicken is also meant to represent a defeated adversary. The colour yellow is often associated with victory.

The Night Watch first hung in the Groote Zaal (Great Hall) or Amsterdam's Kloveniersdoelen. This structure currently houses the Doelen Hotel. In 1715 the painting was moved to the Amsterdam Town Hall, for which it was trimmed on all four sides. This was done, presumably, to fit the painting between two columns and was a common practice before the 19th Century. This alteration resulted in the loss of two characters on the left side of the painting, the top of the arch, the balustrade, and the edge of the step. A 17th Century copy of the painting by Gerrit Lundens at the National Gallery, London, shows the original composition.