How are you?
On every Thursday, I am
introducing the stories about various artists and their paintings with the
title “Interesting Art Stories”.
The 5th story for this week is
"The Night Watch" by Dutch artist, Rembrandt.
“Militia Company of District II under
the Command of Captain Frans Banning 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 painting by a Dutch painter Rembrandt completed in
1642, at the peak of the Dutch Golden Age.
Rembrandt is one of the best
painters in the world who has painted many masterpieces, and his works have
left wonders to many artists, and “The Night Watch” is one of those paintings. This painting is a collection of
the Amsterdam Museum, but is prominently exhibited in the Rijksmuseum.
This painting is famous for three
elements.
The first is the huge size (363cm
× 437cm) of the painting, the second is the dramatic use of light and shadow,
and the third is that the painting is a dynamic drawing of military, while it
has traditionally painted as static.
The painting depicts the march of
a militia 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.
Rembrandt, who used sunlight and
shade effectively, attracted the viewers' attention to the three most important
figures in the painting: the two main characters, whose names are involved in
the title of the painting, in the center, and the woman carrying a chicken in
the center-left. Behind them, the ensign, Jan
Visscher Cornelissen is holding a flag of the militia.
Rembrandt granted the several
traditional emblems to the woman carrying the dead chicken in a natural way. First, the claws of the dead
chicken tied to her belt represent the 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 also represents
a defeated enemy, and the yellow color is often associated with victory.
The painting was commissioned by
Captain Banning Cocq and seventeen members of his civic militia guards, around
1639. Rembrandt received a large sum of
1,600 guilders at the time in exchange for drawing this painting (each person
paid one hundred), and the drummer in the right of the painting was added for
free.
This is one of a series of
paintings of the militiamen painted by many artists.
The Banquet of Members of Amsterdam's Crossbow Civic Guard, , Cornelis Anthonisz (1533)
The Amsterdam archery militia, Bartholomeus van der Helst (1653)
The company of Roelof Bicker and Luitenant Jan Michaelsz Blauw, Van der Helst (1639)
The Meagre Company, Frans Hals and Pieter Codde (1633-37)
The Officers of the St Adrian Militia Company, Hendrik Gerritsz Pot (1630)
Also, due to the huge size, since
it is too large to be painted in the studio of his home, there are
controversies among scholars about where Rembrandt painted it. According to the records of the
area where Rembrandt lived at that time, he applied to build a "summer
kitchen" behind his house, and the size of the structure was large enough
for him to draw this painting. Another possible places are an
adjacent church and actual on site.
The painting is coated with a dark varnish, which gave the incorrect impression that it depicted a night scene, and that impression led to the name by which it is now commonly known.
The painting is also famous for
many accidents.
On January 13, 1911, an
unemployed shoemaker attempted to slash the painting with a shoemaker's knife
protesting his inability to find works. However, the thick coating of the
varnish protected the painting from any damages at that time and it was safe.
On September 14, 1975, an
unemployed school teacher Wilhelmus de Rijk attacked the painting with a bread
knife and slashed it in zig-zagged forms. He, who had a history of mental
illness, claimed "I did it for the Lord. I was ordered to do it."
After four years, the painting was successfully restored, but traces of damages
are still visible up close. He was not charged, but committed suicide in April
1976.
On April 6, 1990, a psychiatric
patient who escaped from a hospital sneaked an acid into a pump bottle and
sprayed it on the painting. Security guards stopped him and quickly sprayed
water on the painting. The acid was only penetrated the varnish layer of the
painting and it was restored.
Thank you.
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