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The Rijksmuseum of Amsterdam has once again hung ‘The Night Watch’ before the public after two months of work on the painting, the great work of Rembrandt. The canvas has been pushed back into place after being stretched on an aluminum stretcher.
As explained by the institution, this was necessary because the canvas had deformations in the upper left corner. The Rijksmuseum continually monitors the condition of the painting.
In December of last year, during an investigation, it was discovered that the painting was hiding a sketch under its layers of paint. This sketch revealed that Rembrandt had originally wanted to paint feathers on a militiaman’s helmet and that he decided to remove a sword that he had placed between the two main characters.
“Feathers are clearly visible in the sketch, but not so in the painting,” Pieter Roelofs, director of the department of paintings and sculptures at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, explained at the time. “We don’t know why he changed his mind, probably because he focused too much attention on this character,” he added.
Artificial intelligence
In June 2021, the result of another curious study on this work was known. Artificial intelligence made it possible to recreate parts of ‘The Night Watch that were cut in 1715, seven decades after the master finished it in 1642. With this new perspective, the off-center focal point originally intended by the master is returned to the work. “Now he can breathe,” said the director of the Rijksmuseum, Taco Dibbits. It is very exciting to see, because you have known painting since you were a child and you feel that you have suddenly gone back in time about 300 years.
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