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Rembrandt’s The Night Watch with Alette Fleischer

Rembrandt’s The Night Watch with Alette Fleischer


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Can't make this time? A video recording will be sent to all participants after the seminar.

Rembrandt’s painting of the Amsterdam city militia of 1642, known by its popular name, The Night Watch, has appealed to art-lovers for over two hundred years. This remarkable masterpiece has always attracted attention: everyone from adoring fans to madmen with knives and even the Nazis are drawn to this work of art. What makes this painting of a group of men so alluring? What extra references did Rembrandt throw in? And why is it still the subject of study and scrutiny today? This seminar seeks to answer these questions as we delve into a deep analysis of what is going on in the image and just who is who.
Rembrandt's work in question has not always been regarded as a masterpiece. The painting’s subject is just a group of men who paid good money to be portrayed by Master Rembrandt. We'll discuss what is going on in the image, Rembrandt's deviation from the client's request, and the figures portrayed as we unpack this renowned piece of art. We'll learn how in the mid-nineteenth century, The Night Watch became the centerpiece of Dutch art and was displayed like an altarpiece. Rembrandt’s piece was so revered that it was hidden from the Nazis during the war for protection. In more recent times, it has attracted an array of madmen who sought to damage the painting for personal and political protest. The mysteries of this work will be discussed in detail as we peel back the layers one by one, just as restorers are doing today with digital technologies.
Led by an expert on seventeenth-century Dutch history, Alette Fleischer, this interactive seminar will focus solely on Rembrandt’s most significant masterpiece: The Night Watch. Designed to inform curiosity as well as future travels, participants will come away with an increased understanding of seventeenth-century Dutch society and our present attitude towards history, interpretation, and conservation.

Amsterdam-born Alette Fleischer has a degree in Art History and a PhD in 17th Dutch History, focusing on gardens, science, and technology. She has curated several exhibitions, publishes articles, presents lectures, and a proud Context Expert. For Context Travel, Alette has led the Rijksmuseum tours many times. Motto: staying curious is key for being a good historian.

This conversation is suitable for all ages.

90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.

Customer Reviews

Based on 4 reviews
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P
P.R. (Québec, CA)
A tour de force

A splendid lecture on a great masterpiece. Now we are hungry for the Anatomy Lesson!

K
Kris Shapar (Stuttgart, DE)
Great talk on great painting

This presenter knows a whole lot about Dutch painting in the Golden Age, and she brought the Night Watch and its times to life. Thoroughly enjoyable, I hope she gives many more seminars.

S
Susan (Mestre, IT)
Great talk on a great artwork

Very much enjoyed this in-depth look at the Nightwatch. Thank you, Alette!

F
Freddie (Augusta, US)
Great lecture that dissected this well loved painting

I studied this painting in Art History in college more than fifty years ago and was able to see it in person in Amsterdam long after. The lecturer added greatly to my understanding of it.

Customer Reviews

Based on 4 reviews
100%
(4)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
P
P.R. (Québec, CA)
A tour de force

A splendid lecture on a great masterpiece. Now we are hungry for the Anatomy Lesson!

K
Kris Shapar (Stuttgart, DE)
Great talk on great painting

This presenter knows a whole lot about Dutch painting in the Golden Age, and she brought the Night Watch and its times to life. Thoroughly enjoyable, I hope she gives many more seminars.

S
Susan (Mestre, IT)
Great talk on a great artwork

Very much enjoyed this in-depth look at the Nightwatch. Thank you, Alette!

F
Freddie (Augusta, US)
Great lecture that dissected this well loved painting

I studied this painting in Art History in college more than fifty years ago and was able to see it in person in Amsterdam long after. The lecturer added greatly to my understanding of it.