Crowd of armed men with pikes, muskets and a drum, led by one man in black and another in pale yellow

The Night Watch

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What you see

A company of armed men spills out of a dark archway. Two figures seem to lead the way: one in black with a red sash, his hand outstretched, and beside him another in pale yellow, holding a short ornate lance. Around them, others load muskets, raise pikes or beat a drum on the right. To the left, a small girl in a golden dress glows among the soldiers.

Light falls from the left and picks out only a few: the man in yellow, the girl and the man in red; the rest sink into shadow. Lances cross the background on a diagonal, giving the crowd movement. Look for the shadow of the leader’s hand on his companion’s pale coat, and the dog by the drum.

About Rembrandt

Rembrandt van Rijn was the great master of light and shadow of the Dutch Golden Age, in Amsterdam. He painted faces so expressive that they seem to think and feel. He made about 80 self-portraits, like a diary of his whole life.

All 12 works by Rembrandt