A Study Of The Night Watch, Artwork By Rembrandt Van Rijn

Rembrandt’s painting “The Night Watch” depicts a group of soldiers in the 17th century, standing guard during the night.

Rembrandt van Rij’s The Night Watch, a highly influential piece, is a significant piece of art. It is representative of the rise in secular art across Europe and the rise of Dutch democracy. The Night Watch is made up of secular elements, which symbolise Dutch pride in democracy and the Northern Baroque movement (specifically, the Dutch Golden Age). It was intended to undermine the catholic church by showing human and non-catholic emotions.

Rembrandt was conceived in the 17th Century, around the time of the (modern Dutch nation) (Wallace 22, 22). The Netherlands was finally enjoying the freedom they had longed for for many years. The Spanish empire was finally freed in 1609 and seven Dutch provinces became independent. Now, democracy was beginning to emerge among the nation’s institutions, thanks to the “United Provinces,” which had been liberated under the House of Orange. The United Provinces included Holland, Zeeland and Utrecht as well as Guelderland. Overjissel. Friesland and Groningen. The United Provinces started to feel a greater sense of democracy once they had been granted their freedom. Each province sent representatives to the “modest court”, which was the Dutch government. However, this failed because each province believed it was self-governing in all aspects, except for defense. The Netherlands managed to survive and become a close-knit country despite all the difficulties encountered in its transition from Spain to democracy. The success and true comradery that characterizes the newly established Dutch democracy is evident in the General standing alongside his men. This is a small-scale example of the comradery between the General and his men, which was seen in the Netherlands and large parts of Europe. The rise of democracy was more popular than that of Catholicism, which led to the decline of the Catholic churches. Luther began his own movement in protest against the Catholic church’s unjust and contradictory practices. Luther had a problem with indulgences, which he thought were pointless. He was also very critical of clergy members who went to brothels and engaged in unholy activities with prostitutes. Luther believed that one does not need to attend church to be “good” Christian. Luther’s greatest accomplishment is arguably attaching his “99theses” to Wittenburg Church where he taught. These were 99 issues Luther felt were important in the church.

Rembrandt was a prominent figure in the art community because of his personal life. Interestingly, Rembrandt has a rich background that contrasts with later work. Rembrandt was eighteenth of nine children, born in Leiden. (Clark), 15 July 1606 (Wallace, 21). His father was a wealthy miller and his name van Rijn means “of Rhine River.” His art did not suffer from this wealth later in his life. Cornelia Willemsdochter de Zuytbrouck, his mother, was also very well-off. Her father was a baker. He was 15 when his father, a wealthy man, sent him to college (Clark 11). Rembrandt was an apprentice to Jacob van Swanenburgh in painting when he was young. Rembrandt spent most of his time with Jan Lievens after completing his apprenticeship. The collaboration continued up to 1631, when Rembrandt moved from Leiden to Amsterdam, Netherlands. (Clark.63). Rembrandt married Saskia von Uylenburgh four more years later. This was his daughter from a wealthy family (Munz 8). He would continue to make great art, even though his wealth was not an issue. His art was dark and messy. These are not characteristics one would expect to see in a wealthy artist. Rembrandt might have made this in order to get the viewer’s attention away from the aesthetics of his art. This is possible because Rembrandt was very forward-thinking in that his messages contradicted the messages of religious artwork that promoted the all-powerful Catholic Church.

While Rembrandt’s extensive upbringing can be interpreted as a Renaissance-man, Rembrandt lived during the Northern Baroque era. The two periods were not necessarily in conflict, but the Northern Baroque surpassed the Renaissance. The church was severely affected by this artistic movement. Its artists used human emotion and realist art to create their art, while the Italian Baroque had the exact opposite. The Italian Baroque consisted mainly of pieces that had been commissioned by churches to portray biblical characters. The Northern Baroque is more secular than the Italian Baroque, which was characterized by heavy Christian imagery and symbolism. The Renaissance brought about the Renaissance’s revival of human reason and freewill. It was because the paintings had secular themes that were real and relatable. This is evident in the Night Watch, which shows that while the Italian Baroque artists were depicting images and symbols of Christianity, Rembrandt was painting secular pieces like this that represented reason and democracy. As for the basics of this piece, it is 13′ x 16′ (Rembrandtpainting.net). Captain Frans Banning Ccq (IBID) commissioned the piece. Cocq, who is Amsterdam’s mayor, means that this piece has secular significance. This shows the way power was shifting from church and towards mayors in smaller areas of larger-scale democracy.

Rembrandt’s death in 1815 saw the creation of the Night Watch (Munz 8). The painting may have been influenced by this, because it shows a darkened mood and men reacting to chaos. As if they are focusing their attention on something in the distance, they look out into it. It’s as if Rembrandt wanted their faces to be painted in response to the power of the Church. Chiaroscuro is a contrast between dark and light that directs the eye to the girl in the painting. The Northern Baroque period’s art is distinguished by its messy and thick brush strokes. These brush strokes show the emotion and meaning behind the piece. Rembrandt wanted The Night Watch to communicate messages of democracy, reason. Portraits were very popular during this period. Even though it was not entirely secular, all of the art pointed to the church’s fading obscurity. The background featured many churches to symbolize their declining popularity. This is likely to be so the viewer recognizes the existence and symbolically sees that the Catholic Church’s influence was decreasing.

Although the Northern Baroque’s physical characteristics are often what is noticed, the art of the period has a deeper meaning. It is determined by the historical context and the use of secular symbolism. The Northern Baroque’s art shows the damage to the Catholic church, not just in the Netherlands but across Europe. This is in stark contrast to what was going on at the southern end of Europe with the Italian Baroque Movement. Italian baroque included pieces that were commissioned and inscribed with religious elements. Rembrandt’s method of painting the piece demonstrates naturalistic, humanistic beliefs. It’s not intended to be perfect or divine. The piece features three figures: Captain Banning Cocq the lieutenant and a little girl. This is a sign of how politics became more important than religion and the decline in power of the Catholic church. The men are shown as extremely powerful and the church is not mentioned (until you analyze the meaning of that little girl). The bravery displayed by the men in this image is evident in their faces. It seems Rembrandt may have meant to suggest that the power and control of the Church is chaotic. The Northern Baroque period saw a decline in attendance at church. This is why churches did not commission much art. Rembrandt’s piece, however, was commissioned by Generals rather than the pope. The piece features General Banning Cocq, his men, and others. They all look attentive and are ready to give their lives for reason. The men’s bravery was evident in this picture. We find it difficult to see the background and this helps us focus on the men. The little girl who is lit the most is the most prominent. The girl is wearing a dress with what appears to be an enviable halo. This may be an indication of the gradual weakness and obscurity of the Catholic church during this period. The General is behind the little girl. The little girl is also shown behind the General. This is an example of how the church reacted when it was being discredit. The tiny girl is a stark contrast to the dazzling men at the centre of the Netherlands. The flag that symbolizes the nationhood was being increasingly prominent can be seen in the background as the viewer moves on. People are standing around the main men and seem to be moving. Because such respected people are present, this creates a sense of commotion.

Rembrandt was not content to use his art to express religious beliefs. This could be a major cause of The Night Watch’s secular symbolism. Captain Frans Bnning Cocq was the one who commissioned this piece. He wanted the portrait to depict him and his 17 civil guards. The original intention was to paint a portrait of men. But Rembrandt created a layout that resembles chaos. It is impossible to see the order in the painting because everyone is standing in different positions. This could be a sign of the chaos that Europe was experiencing under the Catholic church, while the Dutch democracy was creating an orderly sense. The painting is “national symbols” but it appears to make a mockery out of the government (IBID). Rembrandt broke the orders of the general that commissioned it by not portraying everyone equally in the painting and also including characters that weren’t supposed to be there in the painting. Ironically, though it was not done in the same way as they requested, the whole “crew”, under Banning Cocq were still pictured together.

As mentioned, the piece undermined the church because it promoted democracy and nationhood, which people started to pay more attention to than the church. Because Rembrandt shared the same principles as the piece, it’s very likely that Rembrandt supported Calvinism. Calvinism was basically the belief that God predetermined who would receive Heavenly acceptance. Calvinism was based on the belief that God had already predetermined who would be accepted into Heaven. The piece and Calvinism are linked because they both stand for the idea that one should not allow the church to overpower one’s reason. The piece shows that humans are not afraid to show their pride and bravery, but rather stand up for what is right in front of them. This is because the men seem ready to respond to chaos and use their own logic to solve problems.

The Miller’s Tale is Geoffrey Chaucer’s connection to the piece that can be made when analysing the piece. The story tells the tale of John, a carpenter who is a follower of the church. Nick is also featured in the story. He contrasts John. Nick was a Renaissance Man, which meant that he was an expert in all trades. Even though the story ends in the opposite direction for either character, it is clear that Nicholas was the one who won the battle over the carpenter. It is clear that faith can be defeated by knowledge. It’s almost like Nicholas could have been one the Rembrandt men. He displayed his courage through reason. The knowledge he gained in the story would be revolutionary for his day. At one point, the carpenter believed Nicholas’s books had made his insane – almost as if knowledge was a demon parasite corrupting the mind. Blind faith is better than not believing – this is very similar to how people viewed Rembrandt’s masterpiece at the time. On the one hand, people wanted to see art commissioned by churches and featuring religious themes. The church’s decline in power was starting to show on the northern side. Instead of churches commissioning artwork, these artists made the art themselves or were commissioned by General Banning Cocq.

Rembrandt’s piece perfectly exemplifies the Northern Baroque age and all its attributes. The Northern Baroque period saw a decrease in frescoes and an increase in oil painting. Also, wealthy merchants began to purchase paintings. This is how the piece came to be. Rembrandt’s painting of the piece is very simple and straightforward. Rembrandt’s painting was praised by a critic who said that it showed a very simple and rough style. It would be easy to think that this was a hasty piece of work. But look at how beautifully each Colour is placed. Rembrant! “Thy Pencil plays an subtil Part This roughness is [contrived] in order to hide thy art” (Munz 8, 8). Although Rembrandt appeared to be lazy and hadtily created his art pieces with The Night Watch it is plausible that he primarily focused on the message rather than the art quality.

It is clear to see the meaning Rembrandt intended when he created this piece. Rembrandt used symbols to promote the idea of Dutch democracy, nationhood and secularity in his painting of this piece. The nationhood weakened the Catholic church and distracted Christians. Once they were disengaged from the church they would then practice Christianity with help from other philosophies like Calvinism.