Rembrandt's Night Watch will be restored in public

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Rembrandt's masterpiece, The Night Watch, will remain open to the public as part of the largest restoration project of the Rijksmuseum in its history.

The Amsterdam Museum indicates that throughout the process, the works of 1642 will be housed in a "state-of-the-art glass chamber" on the floor of the museum.

In a new attempt to shed light on the process, it will be broadcast online for everyone to see.

Rembrandt's group portrait is considered his most ambitious work.

The night watch is nearly 4 meters tall and 4.5 meters wide (12.5 x 15 feet) – and weighs 337 kilograms (743 pounds).

"The Night Watch is one of the most famous paintings in the world and belongs to us all," said museum director Taco Dibbits.

"That's why we decided to proceed with the restoration within the museum itself – and everyone, wherever it is, will be able to follow the process online."

The tedious process will probably take years and a lot of money – and everything will be done in the light of day.

Before starting in July 2019, The Night Watch will be presented in an exhibition marking 350 years after the death of Rembrandt van Rijn.

Why is The Night Watch important?

The Night Watch was supposed to be a group portrait – a very popular art form in the Dutch Golden Age to wealthy gentlemen and their various societies.

But Rembrandt broke all the rules, creating a fundamental work in the history of art.

At a time when group portraits were largely composed of people standing or sitting in a placard, Rembrandt filled his picture of movement and action.

The use of dramatic lighting – or chiaroscuro, the use of light and darkness – is a famous example of his century and his fame has led to using The Night Watch to teach the technique to students around the world.

In fact, the painting was not originally called The Night Watch – and it's not even placed at night.

Instead, it was known as the District II Militia Company under the command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq.

He was commanded by the captain – who was also the mayor of Amsterdam – and shows his civic guard.

Its more modern title comes from the varnish of the painting, which has darkened over the years, attenuating the original color to give the impression that the scene was taking place at night.

Since then, it has been slightly clarified during previous restorations.

Sliced, splashed and discolored

The museum explains that with the latest technology, they can understand what is happening in the masterpiece – showing an example of the dog in the paint, which whitens with age.

For starters, the table will be thoroughly examined before making any changes.

But it's a painting whose history is full of changes.

And he needed it after being attacked three times in the last century.

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In January 1911, a man attacked the painting with a knife, causing minor damage that was repaired.

A similar act of vandalism committed in 1975 left large slices in the fabric, requiring heavy and painstaking restoration over the course of several years – the last major restoration operation carried out.

Then, in 1990, a man sprayed a chemical on the paint, causing only minor damage to the surface varnish that was relatively easy to repair.

The latest restoration project will be its first major restoration project in decades – but this time, no emergency treatment will be needed to repair the material damage.