“The Night Watch”

Posted on by The Wandering Art Historian

Museums may be closed to the public, but art institutions around the globe are continuing the work needed to conserve and preserve the world’s visual art historical record.

Just this week, the Rijksmuseum released an incredibly high resolution image of one of it’s most famous paintings. You may recall that Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch” has been going through an intense conservation process to remove years of grime and to repair sections of the canvas. As a testament to the technological advancements of the 21st century, most of this conservation was livestreamed on the Internet. With this epic cleaning, the painting is practically being born anew with new details throughout the artwork being uncovered. Thankfully, the Rijksmuseum has decided to share these discoveries with the world. The image released by the museum this week is a hyper-resolution rendering that is so detailed Rembrandt’s brushstrokes can now be seen via one’s home desktop computer.

For more information on the new image of “The Night Watch” and on the conservation process, please visit…

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hyper-resolution-image-rembrandts-night-watch-now-online-180974872/

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I am writer and artist with a degree in art history who loves to talk to people about art. I have spent the last seven years building up The Wandering Art Historian “brand” as a way to connect with people who want to learn more about art. I give lectures and presentations and teach classes and host book club discussions with a creative or artistic connection. I also write about local artists, events, museums, and exhibitions to promote the arts in Central Florida. In 2021, I had a creative crisis. I struggled with authenticity in the art making process. I decided to make myself vulnerable and find out what a real, genuine Adrienne H. Lee artwork would look like. The process was challenging and emotional and revelatory. I learned that if necessity is the mother of invention, then authenticity is the mother of reinvention. I reinvented myself and learned an entirely new medium. The resulting artwork surprised me, and it will surprise you, too. Some people wish for a fairytale ending. For me, the fairy tale is only the beginning.