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| Rembrant / 1642 |
Rembrandt van Rijn was born in 1606
in Leiden, in Protestant Holland. During his career, Rembrandt worked largely
for Protestant patrons. Rembrandt ran his own commercial patronage. He
preferred that his works be valued as "Rembrandts", rather than
products of a contractual agreement.
This
painting shows militia company. Militia company are able bodied men who the
city could call upon if needed to help with riots and help to defend the
city. Most military
paintings during this time showed the militia in a perfectly formed line, but Rembrandt
decided to show them in the process of lining up. For this painting, Rembrandt
was commissioned to paint one of the six large works that would be in the main hall
of Kloveniersdoelen, which is
the range building that the men practiced in. Rembrandt decided on an audacious
composition. The men in the painting are in action, getting arranged and
forming up. The painting is also very dark, which has actually been critiqued by
some. The men in the painting more from dark into light, while the girl to the
captain’s left is in full light, symbolizing the Kloveniers. She is carrying
the costly drinking horn as well as a dead bird, which has a prominent claw.
This is an emblem of the Musketeers, and also might be intended as a pun of the
Captain’s name.
Some people think that this painting is meant
to symbolize a scene at night, but actually the subdued lighting was just
caused by the early darkening of the painting’s multi-layered varnish, which
led to a very misleading name. Rembrandt uses light to highlight the two men at
the center of the painting, as well as the girl to the left of the men. By
showing the rest of the painting in shadows, Rembrandt effectively makes these
three people the center of the painting’s attention.
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