Why The Night Watch is Rembrandt’s Masterpiece

Consider a trip to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam this weekend and check out Rembrandt van Rijn’s most famous work: The Night Watch.

This Dutch Golden Age painting was made in 1642. Interestingly, the artwork is not actually depicting a night scene; Rembrandt intended it to be a portrayal of the civic guards at day-time, but years of varnish and low light darkened the canvas.

In this video, we find out what chiaroscuro is and how the artist uses it beautifully. We are encouraged to notice the balance between chaos and unity, and the way the central figures of the Captain and Lieutenant draw our focus in such a dynamic piece.

“The Night Watch is an eruption of action, shadow and light, with drama that’s more suited to a biblical or historical epic, not 17 guys from peace-time Amsterdam.”

You can find other works from the famous Dutch painter in The Mauritshuis in the Hague or learn more about his life at The Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam. And obviously its always a great idea to follow the brilliant Nerdwriter on Youtube!

Abigail Claire
Abigail Claire
Abbie, a writer from the UK, fell in love with the Netherlands when she was three years old. When she’s not spending her free time painting canals or playing the guitar, she’ll be off travelling somewhere (and probably getting lost).

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Related posts

Latest posts

7 important things to check on your Dutch employment contract in 2025

✍️ Written by Seliz Demirci, employment lawyer at GMW lawyers. Receiving a job offer in the Netherlands is exciting, and it can be tempting to...

BREAKING: The Netherlands is about to fully ban fireworks — for good

We may be well into 2025, but the New Year’s fireworks debate is still blazing hot, with yet another Dutch party backing a full...

9 common financial mistakes expats in the Netherlands make (and how to avoid them)

Living in a foreign country is exciting, but amidst this emotion, many internationals make financial mistakes that could easily be avoided.  From using the wrong...

It's happening