Rembrandt van Rijn
On this day in 1606, the Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and draftsman, Rembrandt van Rijn, was born. He was one of the most amazing artists in the Western world, and we are very happy that today, thanks to Rijksmuseum, we can present his iconic work: The Night Watch.
Rembrandt's largest and most famous painting was made for one of the three headquarters of Amsterdam's civic guard. These groups of civilian soldiers defended the city from attack. Rembrandt was the first to paint all of the figures in a civic guard piece in action. The captain, dressed in black, gives the order to march out. The guardsmen are getting into formation. Rembrandt used the light to focus on particular details, like the captain's gesturing hand and the young girl in the foreground. She was the company mascot. The Night Watch nickname originated much later, when the painting was thought to represent a nocturnal scene.
Recently the Rijksmuseum highlighted the relationship between the works of their collection and slavery. The Night Watch has such a connection: The neighborhood around Kloveniersdoelen, the building in Amsterdam where this painting was made, was also home to an African community. Some came to the city to work as servants, others were sailors or political envoys.
P.S. We prepared a list of 15 things you didn't know about The Night Watch; test yourself and see how many facts you knew! :D
P.P.S. Have a great Friday everyone! If you would like to support us as we develop the new version of the DailyArt app, find out how to help. Thank you for your support! :)