Rijksmuseum's Night Watch
Written: Dec 13 '00 (Updated Dec 13 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals....
Cons: renovations (as much as they are needed)
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| Kallisti's Full Review: Amsterdam Museums |
The Rijksmuseum is something of a mecca for fans of the gret Dutch painters, particularly of Rembrandt van Rijn and Vermeer of Delft. No history of art is complete without a plethora of reproductions of the paintings that grace the walls of Rijksmuseum.
I'm sorry to report that during my trip to Amsterdam, the Rijksmuseum appeared to be suffering some technical difficulties. Much of the collection was closed off. Repair and restoration. The admission price was reduced in half, but I would have rather paid full price for complete access to the rooms & halls. I'm sorry to report that similar repair work was being undertaken at the Stedelijk. Both museums seemed to be in need of such attentions.
Of course the room that holds the famous Rembrandt painting which is popularly known as the Night Watch was open to the public. The locals seem to have less regard for this painting than the American tourists do -- they suggest that Americans like anything that is big. It is true that some of Rembrandt's smallest works are more interesting and beautiful, but the so-called Night Watch is a monument of historic importance, and a thing of which myths are made.
The most blatant myth about the painting is suggested by the title. The Night Watch was not intended to be a night scene. A darkening of the varnish can be accounted for the mythic setting of the sun. It was a large painting for which Rembrandt was not particularly well paid. I imagine he may have used cheaper painting mediums and glazes on this one to cut down on his out of pocket expenses. In any case, Amsterdam is a dark city for much of the year -- a hazy gloom that may compete with London or Seattle for shades of gray is enhanced by tall buildings which block the horizontal rays of the sun over small alleyways.
The Company of Francis Banning Cocq Readying to March was the original title of the painting. The scene, evidently, was not the night watch of a vigilant militia keeping an eye out for unsavory perpitrators of misdeeds, but a more formal display of civic authority.
Apart from the double misnomer, a third myth about the painting is popularly told. The third myth suggests that the painting was abhored and panned by the public, city fathers and art critics of the time. The reality of the painting's reception, upon best retrospect, was more divided. In typical Amsterdam fashion, there was controversy and a split opinion among the general art-savy populous at the time. While Rembrandt's lively and trickster-like sense of humor contributed to the maverick design and composition may have irked the ire of some of the subjects (imagine the chagrin of the fellow who's face has been almost completely obscured), Rembrandt's sense of then-ultramodernist composition and trailblazing achievements in the documentation of vitality and movement -- breaking stodgy rules of a well-worn genre -- was not without it's admirers.
Myth-busting aside, the life of Rembrandt was quite mythic; the great painter lived a life that corresponded to what Joseph Campbell dubbed the "Hero's Journey" -- a decent from the everyday material world through a series of tragic trials, loss and discovery wherefrom he emerged with an elusive treasure -- a profound sense of humor and humanity which his more personal works continue to exude. A great talent tempered by a great soul.
http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/
PS: A side note. There is a herring stand right outside of the Rijksmuseum which sells very good herring. Although herring is, on the wole, much better (and different) than the herring available in the US/Canada, some herring distributors do not offer top quality product. The stand outside of the Rijksmuseum offered the best "nieuw haring" (new herring) that I found on my journey. Of course, this is a good time to buy nieuw haring -- they've been salting it since May and it's done to perfection about this time of year.
Recommended:
Yes
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Kallisti
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