Description
Would you be surprised to discover that the title by which Rembrandt's most famous painting is known is actually false? The Night Watch is not a nighttime scene at all; it actually takes place during the day. This title, which was not given by the artist, was first applied in the late 18th century.
By that time, the painting had darkened considerably due to the accumulation of many layers of dirt and varnish, giving the appearance that the event occurs at night.
Did The Night Watch lead to Rembrandt's downfall?
A myth has grown around the apparent downfall of Rembrandt related to this masterful work of art.
Did The Night Watch really lead to Rembrandt's downfall as some have claimed?
Perhaps we can examine the painting, not in search of clues about a conspiracy to murder, but to see how Rembrandt deviated from the norms of a subgenre that was very popular in the new Dutch Republic: the civic guard portrait, or The Guardroom Scene.
Let's first talk about its colossal size. The original dimensions of the painting were reduced in a cut. Even with the cut, this is the most masterful composition by Rembrandt to date, measuring a colossal 365 x 426 cm.
In this masterpiece of rich shades and darkness, where light is used to give the scene an ethereal quality amidst the usual bustle of movement and action, we detect a certain strangeness, a certain unreality in the scene, even though it is a painting full of noise.
Rembrandt's Night Watch is an example of a very specific type of painting that was exclusive to the northern Netherlands, most of which were commissioned in the city of Amsterdam. It is a group portrait of a company of civic guards. The main purpose of these guards was to serve as defenders of their cities. As such, they had the task of watching the gates, patrolling the streets, extinguishing fires, and generally maintaining order throughout the city. Additionally, they were an important presence in parades held for visiting royalty and on other festive occasions.
Each company had its own guild hall, as well as a shooting range where they could practice with the specific weapon associated with their group, whether it be a longbow, a crossbow, or a firearm. According to tradition, these assembly halls were decorated with group portraits of their most distinguished members, which served not only to record the likeness of these citizens but more importantly to assert the power and individuality of the city they defended. In short, these images helped promote a sense of pride and civic duty.
The name of the painting, The Night Watch, came in the 1790s, when the varnish of the painting had darkened and was dirty enough to appear as a twilight and mysterious nighttime scene.
Rembrandt and The Night Watch - from dusk to glory
Two factors greatly contributed to Rembrandt's problems in the second half of the century. The artist became increasingly extravagant: the large house he lived in, the curiosities and antiques that surrounded him, the acquisition of fine arts. The other aspect had to do with his loose and free handling of paint.
His style was beginning to go out of fashion. What was coming in was the type of "fine painting" that was very polished, practiced by people like Rembrandt's former student, Gerrit Dou, who soon eclipsed his former master in terms of fame and success. Rembrandt had to wait until the rise of the Impressionists before being, in a sense, "rediscovered" and placed in the right spot in art history.
Even after this masterpiece was cleaned of that grimy varnish in 1946, the painting has managed to cling to the sensational mystery that surrounds it.
The Night Watch ranks no. 4 on the list of paintings famous
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