Rembrandt Harmensz.
van Rijn 1642 Oil on canvas
The Municipal Museum Amsterdam
The Night Watch, the most famous painting in the Rijksmuseum, actually has another title: the 'Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch'. The picture is a militia painting: a group portrait of a division of the civic guard. A moment in time
Rembrandt depicted the group of militiamen in an original way. In Rembrandt's Night Watch, the militiamen are milling around. They are talking and holding their weapons. Already on the move, Captain Banning Cocq is issuing orders to his lieutenant, Van Ruytenburch, for the company to march. It looks like a snapshot of a group in action rather than a posed portrait. This is what makes the Night Watch so radically different from other militia paintings.
Light and shade
The contrasts between light and shade in the painting enhance the feeling of action and movement. Rembrandt has used the fall of the light to focus attention on the most important figures: the captain (Banning Cocq) and the lieutenant (Van Ruytenburch).
Who is in the Night Watch?
The names of the eighteen militiamen portrayed in the painting are on a shield above the gate. A company comprised more members, but only those who paid were included in the group portrait. The drummer was hired and was therefore allowed to be in the painting for free. Rembrandt added the others to enliven the painting. Three people on the left of the picture disappeared in the eighteenth century when part of the canvas was cut off. We are now only able to match a few names to the faces in the portrait.
Symbols
The militiamen in the Night Watch are called Arquebusiers after the arquebus, a sixteenth-century long-barreled gun. Rembrandt worked the traditional emblem of the Arquebusiers into the painting in a natural way: the girl in the foreground is carrying the main symbols. She is a kind of mascot in herself: the claws of the chicken (1) on her belt represent the 'Clauweniers'- Arquebusiers; the pistol (2) behind the chicken stands for 'clover'; moreover, she is holding the militia's goblet (3). The man in front of her is wearing a helmet with an oak leaf - a traditional motif of the Arquebusiers. Another subtle detail reveals these to be Amsterdam Arquebusiers: the three crosses of the Amsterdam coat of arms can be seen in the lapel of the lieutenant's jacket.
Rendering of texture
Rembrandt was a master at depicting different materials. He used highly diverse ways of painting for different parts of the picture: sometimes with great precision, other times using rough brushstrokes; sometimes painting smoothly and sometimes using thick daubs of paint. Rembrandt often sacrificed accuracy for liveliness.
Composition
How is the Night Watch composed? - the architecture in the foreground is more or less symmetrical - a number of militiamen are also symmetrically positioned - the captain and the lieutenant are standing just to the right of center - this asymmetry brings tension to the picture: the eye draws both the men a little to the left, in the direction they are walking - this enhances the feeling of movement - the lines of a number of pole arms are equidistant: they connect the center of the composition with the space outside the painting.
Troublesome foreshortening
Banning Cocq's hand and Van Ruytenburch's partisan appear to literally come out of the painting. This type of foreshortening is extremely difficult to paint. Rembrandt dealt brilliantly with this obstacle. The captain's hand is almost tangible. However, Rembrandt had more problems with Van Ruytenburch's gun. This is now clear from X-rays of the painting. The partisan was far too large in Rembrandt's first version and had to be corrected a number of times. Rembrandt usually painted directly onto the canvas without preparatory sketches. A good example of this method is his portrait of the 'Sampling Officials' of 1662.
The Nightwatch is on display at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The museum has acquired the painting in 1817.
Source: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
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