Van Gogh Reborn! - Chapter 29
Amsterdam National Museum.
It was established five years before my death, and according to the travel guide, it is a treasure trove of Dutch culture with about 250 exhibition rooms.
It is said that there were more than 5,000 paintings on display, but I don’t know if I will be able to see them properly while I’m here.
“It’s here.”
I turned my gaze to follow Grandpa and saw a huge gothic building across the small artificial pond.
There were lots of people.
Some people sit around the pond and talk about various things, while others take pictures with the sculpture between the museum and the pond.
It was an unusual sculpture.
What does that mean?
At first glance, it may mean that I am from Amsterdam, but I am not sure.
There are many cases where I do not understand the sculptures of this era like the one in front of the WH Art Museum.
Maybe I’ll understand them later.
I have only recently met with the contemporary art, so the day will come when I will understand them by approaching them little by little.
No need to rush.
The important thing is that people smile while taking pictures in front of that sculpture.
“Then enjoy watching.”
“Thank you.”
There is a picture painted on the ticket given by the staff.
If you look at the style of painting, it looks like a Rembrandt painting.
“Is this the night watch?”
“Yeah. One of the most interesting paintings here.”
Rembrandt’s night watch, which is still loved hundreds of years later, is proof that it has an intrinsic value that does not change even if the perspective changes and the times change.
“Did you know that the original title of Night watch is different?”
“Really?”
“Originally titled ‘Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq’.”
It’s long.
The strange thing is that even I’m hearing for the first time that there is a separate title for Night watch.
“The picture is darkened and it looks like they are patrolling at night. That’s why it was nicknamed the night watch.”
“Isn’t it dark from the beginning?”
“Rembrandt used softening water pigments and vermillion to paint the night scenes, and the lead and sulfur in them turned black when exposed to air.”
The culprit is again lead .
“After about a hundred years, it was said that the painting was hardly recognizable. That’s why people mistakenly thought it was a painting of midnight. There is also a story that once the painting was hung near a fireplace, which made the painting even darker.”
My paintings in the Van Gogh Museum were also very discolored.
But it was not to the point of being mistaken.
I was reminded again that the scientific knowledge is very important when selecting materials.
“Then is it still hard to recognize?”
“It was restored to some extent by scraping the surface. But it will not be exactly what Rembrandt had completed.”
It is very regrettable that such a masterpiece was damaged by ignorance and not for any other reason.
“You can see it for yourself. Let’s go up.”
I climbed the stairs with Grandpa.
The exhibition hall called the Hall of Fame was beautiful.
Not only the works on display, but the building itself is a work of art.
‘Ah.’
Right across from the entrance.
The night watch of Rembrandt hangs.
It was Big.
3.63m in length and 4.37m in width, it is truly a masterpiece.
I’ve never painted a picture this big, and I can’t even imagine how hard it was to create such a work.
“……?”
There is something strange about the picture.
I heard that from Grandpa that it had a discoloration, but the two figures are in the middle seemed awkward.
Of course, it was placed in the center to illuminate the two important figures, but something doesn’t fit with the work that stands out with such a dynamic posture and natural arrangement of figures.
It’s not Rembrandt style.
“What happened Hun.?”
“It’s not like Rembrandt. The painting looks genuine, but the two figures in the middle are too central.”
“This painting was originally hung in a militia meetinghouse. They were going to take it out and do an exhibition, but the work was too big, so the top and left sides were cut off. They also cut the right side a bit so that the two figures are in the middle.”
Crazy.
Did the people didn’t have any brain inside their head.
“How much? How much did they cut?”
“Well. They said they cut it out about 60m above and to the left.”
If this picture hadn’t been cut, the two figures in the center of what we see now would have been a little more to the right.
It would have felt like walking from the right to the center of the painting, and of course the feeling of a campaign would have been much better.
“At that time, it was not uncommon to cut out pictures. At least they treated it properly before they moved here in 1885.”
“Did something happen?”
Grandpa nodded his head.
“It must have been 1976. A crazy guy cut the painting with a knife.”
“…this painting.?”
I asked Grandpa again since it was too absurd, but the same answer came from Grandpa.
“It was restored in 2019, more than 40 years later. But the technology couldn’t keep up.”
It’s crazy, I can’t even open my mouth in shock.
Now I can see why the Van Gogh Museum, which has so many of my paintings, puts up imitations and blocks the originals with glass.
There are so many crazy people in the world.
I slowly looked at the picture, leaving behind the sad story.
The unique expression given to each character, the delicacy of the clothes, and the color tone that looks rich with exceptional contrast can be seen even if it is darkened for various reasons.
This painting is not just a painting of several people.
It is the most effective combination of portraits that melt the individuality of several people.
With this masterpiece, one of the longest in the history of art, Rembrandt van Rein became a legend.
“It was from this masterpiece that Rembrandt’s life began to fall apart.”
Like my Grandpa said, it was also the cause for the downfall of the individual called Rembrandt.
“This painting was commissioned by 18 militia members. They asked him to draw it very nicely.”
The main characters of [Night watch] consisted of the children from a family which was often referred to as ‘Night Watch’.
They enlisted for the honor of defending the country, but the training was a mess, so they made a series of mistakes that were not like a soldier, as shown in [Night Watch].
That satirical element was also a great point of Rembrandt and was the starting point of the problem.
“If he had drawn everyone facing the front as usual, there would have been fewer complaints. It would have been better if it was drawn very nicely as they had hoped. But that was not the case, and the clients were dissatisfied with Rembrandt for expressing their mistakes.”
Rembrandt’s artistic temperament is highly appreciated, but the position of the militia that commissioned the painting is also understandable.
“After this painting, no one commissioned Rembrandt to paint. His paintings, which started to show their inner self, was not recognized at that time.”
I truly admire Rembrandt and have studied countless times how to paint a picture like him.
I have changed my mind after going through a similar life like him.
We could painted the pictures people want, and with the money we’ve earned we could have painted the paintings more and for a little longer.
Living and art are different.
There is no ideal environment for the public to like the picture we want to draw, except for some blessed people.
What if Rembrandt had established his own style of painting with self-portraits, etc., and commissioned works such as ‘Night watch’ were tailored to the needs of the patrons? .
He was capable enough.
“……”
Being revered after death is the only consolation.
Staying at the Van Gogh Museum gave me a lot of comfort and courage, but it also made my heart stronger.
Never give up on life or painting.
I thought that living had meaning only by drawing, but I was ignorant to the fact that I was able to paint only because I was living .
In the past, I would have argued that if Rembrandt had fulfilled the client’s request, a work like [Night Watch] would not have come out.
I knew the truth only when I reached the extreme situation, where I had no choice but to take my own life.
It still pains my heart, when I think about it.
You shouldn’t give up on either your life or the art.
That is the path I will pursue in this new life I have once again gained.
Draw what you want to draw and draw what the public will like.
Drawing these two together in good health for a long time is the path I truly hope for.
The museum was full of works that were truly pleasing to the eye, full of heart, and piercing the spine.
As I was talking with my Grandpa, I couldn’t even inspect the second floor properly .
It is not unreasonable since I stood in front of the [Night Watch] alone for three hours.
My hungry stomach made sound and we went out to dinner.
“Hmm. The time is already up.”
Grandpa tapped his watch and looked around.
“Who are you waiting for?”
“Well. Isn’t there a reporter who interviewed you last time? Kim Jiwoo.”
He is a bustling reporter I met at the Seoul Art Museum.
“ I remember”
“He wanted to have an interview with you. So I asked him to come during the dinner time.”
“Is he here?”
Like Lee Inho and Kim Jiwoo, the job of a journalist seems to require great passion.
“Stay close to someone who will be of great strength to you in the future. But don’t tell them too much.”
“why?”
“If you get along with reporters in moderation, it helps you, but you shouldn’t trust people too easily, especially reporters. Even things that need to be hidden will be reported, and they can even become your weaknesses later.”
The sadness of not being able to trust people seems to be still exist.
“Hello, hello!”
I heard a voice that I hadn’t heard for a while from behind me.
When I turned around there was Kim Jiwoo.
“Hey Hun…. How are you doing?”
“ I’m fi…..”
Even before I could finish my sentence, he took my hand and asked.
“Is it true that you’re having a rivalry clash with Henry Marceau? Really…is it true…is it…isn’t it?”
As usual, his excitement seems to be too high.
TRIVIA
The sculpture ‘I amsterdam’ was removed from in front of the Amsterdam National Museum in December 2018 because it became a symbol of congestion and excessive individualism in the square.
It was reported that many people visited the place only to take selfies with the sculpture, rather than enjoying the art inside the museum.
