Characteristics of REMBRANDT's The Night Watch
the night watch It is one of Rembrandt's masterpieces. A painting dated in 1642 and belonging to the Dutch Baroque school, as well as being a most groundbreaking painting when dealing with an event as if it were a solemn fact and realistically showing the different characters that appear in the scene.
In this lesson of unPROFESOR.com we offer you the characteristics of the night watch. A painting that is part of the history of universal painting and that will surprise you with its meaning and technical quality. Take note!
In addition to the more general characteristics of The Night Watch, in order to make a good analysis of the work it is important to know the technical part. In regards to the technical aspects of the work stands out:
- The composition is not static, characterized by being complex and showing an apparent disorder.
- The work is arranged in different lines, offsetting each other and showing us all the characters in group attitudes and actions, without isolating them. They all appear as one photography of the moment, focusing more on the action than on being absolutely faithful to the portraits of the characters. Characters that carry out different actions in different postures and in full movement.
- The center of the scene is marked by the figures of the captain and lieutenant while the rest of the group appears organized in triangles. Some figures are more visible and others are hardly seen, predominantly the diagonals and the zigzag to bring dynamism to the action. Everything is arranged in four planes.
- The light highlights some characters, very illuminated, without there being a clear focus from which it comes. Thus, light becomes another of the tools used by Rembrandt to bring dynamism to the scene.
- He color it is rich and with nuances and contrasts, with warm tones such as gold, red or orange, among others, predominating. Rembrandt uses broad, pasty brushstrokes in some areas, while in others he favors smaller, softer strokes.
