mikemiller
Vital Football Hero
N "(The) NIGHT Watch"- Very famous, and very large, painting by Rembrandt (Van Rijn). Commissioned in 1639, completed 1642. Officially named "Company of District II under the command of Captain Frans Bannink Cocq", more snappily nicknamed "Die Nachtwacht" in Dutch. At the time of the painting ,the civic guardsmen depicted had a mainly ceremonial role, and no longer that of active soldiers. Because of that, there has been speculation regarding a possible satirical element to the painting. Also one of the background figures is believed to be Rembrandt himself, and possibly his wife Saskia is in the picture too! Rembrandt may have regarded Capt. Cocq's company, as having a pantomime home guard element to them - not sure what "Stupid Boy" is in Dutch! Cocq seems to have liked the painting though.
Despite the widely-used title for the painting, the scene depicted actually takes place in the daytime, which became much more apparent when the painting was cleaned up!
The painting has also been the inspiration for sculptures, several films, and the song, "The Night Watch", by King Crimson which features on the "Starless and Bible Black" album (1974), clip on YouTube. The painting is now owned by the Amsterdam Museum, and is normally on display in the Rijksmuseum building .
Despite the widely-used title for the painting, the scene depicted actually takes place in the daytime, which became much more apparent when the painting was cleaned up!
The painting has also been the inspiration for sculptures, several films, and the song, "The Night Watch", by King Crimson which features on the "Starless and Bible Black" album (1974), clip on YouTube. The painting is now owned by the Amsterdam Museum, and is normally on display in the Rijksmuseum building .
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