What Is Operation Night Watch and Why Is It Important?

We have great news for all art lovers and admirers of Rembrandt's work. The restoration of "The Night Watch," one of the most famous works by this Dutch painter, is underway at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and you can watch it via a live online stream.

The Night Watch, or more precisely, the painting titled The Company of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburch Preparing to March, is a masterpiece by Rembrandt van Rijn, the greatest and best-known Dutch Baroque painter and printmaker. It was painted in oil on canvas in 1642 and depicts members of a civic militia company, who also commissioned the work.

The Restoration Process

After detailed studies involving research into painting techniques, high-resolution photographs, and advanced computer analysis, a detailed work plan was drawn up. The "Operation Night Watch" project also allows the public to follow the work because, as the Rijksmuseum director says, the painting belongs to everyone in the Netherlands and around the world, and the public has a right to see what is happening to it. The painting is housed in a specially designed glass chamber, so visitors can still see the painting and watch the restorers at work.

Interesting Facts About The Night Watch

The painting actually depicts a daytime scene. It got the nickname "The Night Watch" after it was covered with a dark varnish that made it look as if it were set at night. The dark varnish was later removed, but the nickname remained.

The painting was trimmed by about 20% to fit its new location. The painting's current size is 3.6 m × 4.4 m; originally, it was 4 m × 5 m.

With this painting, his most ambitious work, which he painted at the height of his career, Rembrandt lost popularity because he did not follow the customary approach to painting group portraits. Not all the figures in the painting are equally visible, which displeased the patrons who commissioned it.

The painting has suffered several “attacks.” Visitors damaged it with a knife twice, and in 1990, one museum visitor sprayed the painting with acid. Security staff reacted quickly, however, and water was immediately applied to the canvas, preventing the acid from penetrating the deeper layers. The painting was restored after the damage.

This painting has been restored at least 25 times, but “Operation Night Watch” is the most extensive study of it ever undertaken.

Link to follow the restoration of The Night Watch: https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/nightwatch