Baroque Art: The Night Watch

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About The Night Watch

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Baroque artist. He completed The Night Watch, a nearly 12x14 foot oil painting, in 1642 (Kate Connolly 2018). The painting captures a group of civilian soldiers along with their captain. Each figure modeled for the painting separately despite the final painting portraying them together in one scene. At the time the painting was started the soldiers duty was to defend their city however, by the time the painting was completed, the soldiers would have been considered elite members in society (Smarthistoryvideos 2015). What makes The Night Watch stand out against other artworks of its time is the movement and action displayed in the piece. What would typically be painted as still portraits, was painted with a complex composition and figures in motion. Despite the name being deceiving and the darkness of the painting, The Night Watch wasn't meant to be a night scene. The more neutral colors as well as the varnish give the painting a dimmer appearance. 


My Thoughts

I think The Night Watch is visually appealing especially because there is so much to look at and take in. Having the figures be in motion gives the painting action that it otherwise wouldn't have. I do however wish there was more lighting or more variation in color throughout the entire piece to make the painting feel less boring or dull. My favorite part of the painting is the one eyed man hidden within the men to represent Rembrandt himself. It's an interesting touch and adds to the character of the piece.

Baroque VS Renaissance

To compare Baroque and Renaissance art I chose to look at the differences between The Night Watch and The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. They both picture scenes including multiple figures so I thought they'd make for a good comparison. To start off, The Last Supper seems to have an intentionally balanced composition whilst The Night Watch has more of a realistic and disbursed composition. The lighting in the two pieces is also quite different. Da Vinci's piece has an overall glow to it. The use of lighting in Rembrandt's piece feels more dramatic and real. Because of these differences I see The Last Supper as being more of a storybook picture whereas The Night Watch truly feels like it tells the story on its own. I have an appreciation for both paintings and admire the contrasts of art from each time period.


Sources

Connolly, Kate. “Rembrandt Masterpiece the Night Watch to Be Restored under World's Gaze.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 16 Oct. 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/oct/16/the-night-watch-rembrandt-painting-to-be-restored-under-worlds-gaze.

“The Night Watch, Rembrandt Van Rijn, 1642.” Rijksmuseum, https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/SK-C-5.

Schaller, Dr. Wendy. “Rembrandt, The Night Watch.” Smarthistory, 8 Aug. 2015, https://smarthistory.org/rembrandt-the-night-watch/.

Smarthistoryvideos. Rembrandt, The Night Watch. YouTube, YouTube, 4 Mar. 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0D_rc92g27w. 

Comments

  1. KdOctober 14, 2022 at 11:21 PM

    I think it's so cool that people started making paintings that caught things in action. The baroque area in itself has been pretty interesting to learn about. Artists during that era truly seemed to be ahead of their time. This painting is interesting because https://www.rembrandthuis.nl/en/meet-rembrandt/rembrandt-the-artist/most-important-work/the-night-watch/ says "The name Night Watch dates from the 18th century when the painting had darkened significantly. By then, people were no longer sure precisely what it represented. They took it for a night scene."

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    Replies
    1. oliviaOctober 15, 2022 at 1:42 PM

      It is fascinating how each individual in the work was painted on separate occasions. Come to think of it, it does make sense because having that many individuals available at the same time, having to remain at that stance as the artist paints every character would seem rather impolite to the subjects. This piece truly looks just like a photo caught at a moment in time, but really, that moment was fictional in that the subjects were never in that position but puzzle-pieced there.

      I agree that the portrayal of the painting is quite dark and ominous, but I think that just emphasizes the setting that much more. The Baroque Era was connected with many conflicts (The Thirty Years War to name one), and I think that the way that the artist used heavy contrasts of value allows the audience to feel as if they are there amongst the conflict (History, 2009). The historical events of this time really impacted the conduction of art from this era, and that is why drama and the usage of tenebrism really shined.
      https://www.history.com/topics/reformation/thirty-years-war#:~:text=The%20Thirty%20Years'%20War%20was,disease%20caused%20by%20the%20conflict.

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  2. Katie NationsOctober 17, 2022 at 9:25 PM

    What an exciting read! I love this painting because of how busy and full of life it is. The movement created in the image by the individuals makes it feel alive. I agree with your commentary on the lack of lighting. It is hard to distinguish between certain parts of the painting, like the background and the people. The comparative artworks you chose were a great contrast to one another. The most significant distinction is the lighting. I like that each one was filled with people and movement. 

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