Rembrandt’s Night Watch: A Baroque Masterpiece
Rembrandt’s The Night Watch
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Oil on canvas. Dimensions: 3.59 x 4.38 meters.
The correct title of this painting is The Militia Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburch. The popular title, The Night Watch, stems from a 19th-century misinterpretation due to the painting’s grime. A 1947 restoration revealed it depicts a daytime scene.
Commission and History
Commissioned by the Amsterdam Crossbowmen’s Guild for their Civic Guard headquarters, the painting’s large size reflects its intended location. A 1715 transfer resulted in the canvas being trimmed on all four sides. The original dimensions are known from 17th-century copies (a watercolor and an oil painting).
Genre and Subject
This corporate portrait is typical of Dutch painting tradition. Rembrandt received 1,600 guilders (100 from each of the portrayed militiamen, with the two officers likely paying more for their prominent positions). The painting captures the company’s mobilization, led by Captain Cocq and Lieutenant Van Ruytenburch. Sixteen soldiers are depicted carrying flags, muskets, halberds, and drums. Rembrandt added three children and a barking dog to enliven the scene.
Composition and Light
The complex, seemingly chaotic composition presents the group spontaneously, as if in a photograph. The scene is full of animation and implied sound, with figures engaged in various actions and poses. Captain Cocq and Lieutenant Van Ruytenburch form the compositional center, around which the other figures are arranged in triangular groups with a curving motion. Some figures are clearly visible, while others recede into the shadows, their heads only partially visible. The figures occupy four depth levels, creating a dynamic interplay of diagonal and zigzagging lines.
Light is the true protagonist, shaping the composition through Caravaggio-influenced chiaroscuro. Golden shadow areas contrast with brightly illuminated sections, such as the running girl with a chicken hanging from her belt. The unreal, emanating light creates a magical and mysterious atmosphere.
Color and Drawing
The rich color palette is full of contrasts and nuances. The lieutenant’s bright yellow costume, orange sash, and the captain’s black suit stand out against the warm, golden tones. The paint is applied with spontaneous, pasty brushstrokes. Drawing takes a secondary role to color, with diluted contours. The image is built primarily from light and color.
Style and Meaning
The painting exhibits typical Baroque characteristics: dynamic composition with diagonal and curved lines, rich and varied colors unified by a golden hue, chiaroscuro, de-emphasized lines, realism, attention to detail, and a sense of controlled chaos. Rembrandt elevates a mundane Dutch event into a grand spectacle, blending group portraiture with historical painting. He breaks with convention by arranging figures according to visual impact rather than strict hierarchy. This disregard for rank caused some portrayed individuals to complain about their depiction. Rembrandt’s approach showcases his artistic freedom and modernity.
Rembrandt and His Time
The Night Watch is considered the masterpiece of Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), a towering figure in Dutch Baroque painting. 17th-century Holland was a prosperous nation, proud of its independence. The Calvinist bourgeoisie became the primary patrons of Dutch artists, commissioning paintings for their homes. Artists began producing works “for the market,” reflecting popular tastes. Genres like portraiture and everyday life scenes, rendered in a realistic style with an emphasis on light, flourished.
Rembrandt, born in Leiden, settled in Amsterdam, where he was indirectly influenced by Caravaggio. He married Saskia in 1642, who became his model and mother to his four children (only Titus survived). He enjoyed a successful career, achieving prestige and wealth. After Saskia’s death in 1642, Rembrandt faced artistic misunderstanding and financial hardship, eventually going bankrupt. Despite these difficulties, he produced some of his best work during this period. Following the deaths of his partner Hendrickje and son Titus, Rembrandt died destitute in Amsterdam in 1669.
Rembrandt’s diverse oeuvre includes landscapes, still lifes, mythological and religious scenes (e.g., Supper at Emmaus), and especially portraits, both individual (e.g., numerous self-portraits and portraits of Saskia) and collective (e.g., The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, The Syndics, and The Night Watch). He also created magnificent etchings.
Rembrandt’s work reflects on the human condition, capturing the inner universe. He prioritized truth and sincerity over classical beauty. His ability to represent “not what exists, but existence” (Georg Simmel) underscores his modernity. Rembrandt’s mastery of light and color influenced later artists like Goya, Delacroix, and the Impressionists.