Rembrandt and the Night Watch
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn He is considered one of the greatest painters and printmakers in European art history and the most important in Dutch history. Nobody stands above master painter Rembrandt in bringing portraits not only a depiction of the subject but incorporating their life, history and personality. That is why Rembrandt paintings are loved by so many people.
Born in Leiden in the Dutch republic in 1606, Rembrandt showed an early affinity for painting, and choose to develop his skill further. his etchings and paintings were popular throughout his lifetime, his reputation as an artist remained high, and for twenty years he taught nearly every important Dutch painter. Rembrandt’s greatest creative triumphs are exemplified especially in his portraits of his contemporaries, self-portraits and illustrations of scenes from the Bible. His self-portraits form a unique and intimate biography, in which the artist surveyed himself without vanity and with the utmost sincerity. His favorite subjects were the portrait, the landscape and the story. In his own words, he sought “the greatest and most natural movement” which helped enliven even his still portraits.
The Night Watch perhaps is the most famous painting among Rembrandt artworks. It is also reproduced quite often in oil painting reproductions’ industry. The Night Watch actually has another title: the ‘Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch‘. It is misnamed because of a very dark varnish that covered it until the 1940’s. It is a group portrait of a company of civil guards under the command of Cocq and his lieutenant, Willem van Ruytenburch (in light garb).
This painting was successful. The fact that some members of the company are partially obscured by the action did not cause the work to be condemned, as has been suggested. In this painting Rembrandt solved the problem of the group portrait in such a dynamic way that few after him could ever again sit or stand their subjects in a static line or static grouping. Rembrandt shows Cocq and his men in motion: their lances are askew, their muskets are out of order, and they all project a sense of the vitality of their mission. The canvas is gigantic and was originally even larger. In this group portrait Rembrandt captures the personality of the entire company. .
The Night Watch not only presents a dedicated and exact portrait of the subject. It also brings movement into what would traditionally be a still military portrait. This second fact adds to its appeal, and also makes that appeal equally relevant today. There should still be a place for this level of exact depiction, and there is. Photography or not, any portrait executed with such skill will still look amazing on the wall.
The night watch art reproduction is available in Atlandbiz.com, custom sizes are welcome.
Processing your request, Please wait....
