VTG. 1953, Art Treasures Of The World, Rembrandt, The Night Watch, Colored Print

Description: This vintage print features the renowned artwork of Rembrandt van Rijn, depicting the Dutch Company of the Civil Guard of Amsterdam in his iconic painting "The Night Watch". The print is a licensed reprint on medium-sized matte paper, with a landscape orientation and colored features. The item measures 14.5 inches in length and 11 inches in width, and was produced in 1953 using lithography techniques. It is unframed and has a region of origin in New York, USA. This print is a great addition to any art collection, showcasing the masterful style and theme of Dutch art. The original is housed in Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam 11’ ll 3/4” x 14’ 41/2” Commentary by Wilhelmina Koehler, Professor of Fine Arts, Harvard University, 1953 There are few paintings about which so much has been written as ‘The Night Watch’. Gradually the mysteries which once surrounded the whole composition and its details are being cleared up by patient research; motives which were looked upon as arbitrary inventions have turned out to be based partly upon tradition, partly upon keen observation of reality, and the recent cleaning of the painting has definitely proved that the long-familiar title is a misnomer. Following the old Dutch custom, a company of Civil Guard of Amsterdam commissioned Rembrandt in 1642 to paint the portraits of its officers and men on a huge canvas which was to be placed on the wall of the assembly hall. If Rembrandt had adhered to the traditional scheme , he would have shown the figures in one of two rows , standing and facing the spectator. Instead the young firebrand of an artist, fascinated with inner visions of striking movement and forceful activity , breaks radically with tradition. He shows the guards in a moment of bustling activity, with each making his preparations to fall in at the expected command. Since the figures are all life-size in the original, an overwhelming effect is produced by the outward thrust of the crowd as it streams out from the dark doorway and pushes forward in a wedge-shaped formation, headed by the tall Captain and the short Lieutenant. The whole painting is bursting with life and activity that we are apt to overlook the masterly composition which regulates the apparent turmoil. The distribution of colors - the blacks, red and white of the captain’s costume and the yellow and white of the lieutenants, echoed here and there by smaller areas in corresponding tints- keeps the wedge of figures together and intensifies the impression of forward momentum. The impression is further enhanced by the openings in the left side of the wedge through which we see figures moving in contrasting directions and by groups of flanking figures which act as foils. If we add to such observations the essential functions played in the composition by parallel and contrasting diagonals of muskets, standard, halberds and pikes, we begin to realize that the impressions of turmoil is skillfully achieved by a composer who knows exactly where and how to introduce each separate instruments in order to achieve the most resounding orchestral effect.

Price: 14 USD

Location: Marietta, Ohio

End Time: 2024-11-04T16:37:36.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD