The Rijks...

1:49 p.m.

02/02/2022 - Rarely do we have the opportunity to see a restoration taking place "live", since this type of work is usually done behind closed doors, in museum workshops. However, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, which houses a collection of works from several centuries ago, is currently carrying out "Operation Night Watch" in full view of the public. Because the size of Rembrandt's 17th-century painting makes it difficult to move, it was decided to make the restoration work in the gallery where it is displayed. With the help of modern technological advances, a study was commissioned to determinate the level of deterioration and how the painting looked back in 1642. The result of the investigation determined that the excess of varnish was discoloring the painting and that the fabric was bulging in certain places. With this information, the restoration process began during the museum's visiting hours. We will soon have the opportunity to observe in detail a much improved Night Watch since it has not received treatment for 40 years.

The museum also houses several works by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer (1632-75), such as The Milkmaid, The love Letter and Delf Street (unfortunately this one was not on display at the time of our visit), all of them small works with hundreds of details to admire. In the case of The Milkmaid, a powerful painting, the girl pours milk into a jug. Everything in the painting remains static except for the milk falling. Experts confirm that the artist did not respect the perspective to place the focal point in the figure (center of the scene), although he later painted objects in front of it to block the full view of the woman. Details such as the shine of the bronze object on the back wall and even the wall itself, with scratches and breaks, create a tactile sensation. The naturist quality of The Milkmaid in general offers a visual document of the interiors of a house in the 17th century.

The Milkmaid, by Johannes Vermeer (c. 1660)

Technique: oil on canvas

The Love Letter, by Johannes Vermeer (c. 1669-1670)

Technique: oil on canvas

The museum also has several paintings by Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt (1567-1641), an artist who portrayed the entire court of the Netherlands, especially Elisabeth Stuart whom we wrote about in a previous post.