Artist often forge painting in attempt for observers to figure out what the painting depicts or represents. The Night Watch (Rijn, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van) is a painting of Captain Frans Banning Cocq with his Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburgh and their sixteen men in the background. It is a unique painting in that it depicts so much of the scene at one time. This scene is taking place in one of the halls where the guardsmen train. (“The Night Watch.”)  It is more of a serious painting due to the dark atmosphere and the solemn looks on the women’s face. By looking at contrast and the elements of the picture, we see that Rembrandt wanted us to specifically see the Captain, his lieutenant and the woman kneeling on the ground due to that they are receiving the light in the scene meaning that they are the most important people in the scene. (Schaller, Dr. Wendy)

The angle in which the painting is viewed can be a medium shot or a long shot. The long shot because the setting as a whole is visible however a medium shot as well because of the personal intimacy shown by the characters. What can be retracted from this picture is that the men are gathering now, waiting to be on guard for whatever attempts to challenge the group. The painting is mostly directed towards the captain and lieutenant of the group. They specifically have the light on their faces so this could represent importance or nobility. It appears that the head officers are having a conversation amongst the rest of the men. Them conversing could mean that the next mission has presented itself and they are figuring out a way to complete the mission. 

The color throughout the overall design is a big factor in analyzing The Night Watch. The background has a very darkish look giving off more of an intense and mysterious feel. I don’t believe that the darkness represents sadness or mournfulness because some of the men in the picture have smiles on their faces. The darker shaded men are the musketeers that have been assigned to take orders from Captain Frans Banning Cocq. All of the men seem to be wearing dark shaded clothes except for the woman on the ground and the man to the right of Captain Cocq. The woman has lighter shade covering her whole body and has a large chicken hanging from her waistband. This same woman has a golden colored dress on within a very serious and dark setting bringing a sense optimism to the men in the picture. This is meant to give hope to the men in room and hope to the viewer in a more hopeless environment. Another person that seems to stand out in color is the man dressed in all red. He is holding a musket and is preparing to fire. Due to his colorful attire and him preparing to fire again, this would mean that he is a good shooter. The man is capable of wearing such colors because while the men are fighting other groups, he is hiding from a point shooting people from afar not getting into the hand to hand fighting. 

Repetition is one factor of The Night Watch that can be very noticeable. It seems that all the men in this picture have so sort of headwear. The repetitive headwear could symbolize that they are posing for the picture rather than actually getting ready to fight. The top hats in the 1600s were more of a stylish option, however the armored helmets were mostly used for the men that stood on the outside of the gates of a city. (Schaller, Dr. Wendy) I believe Rembrandt purposefully put the men with helmets in the picture to make the militia look more official for the portrait. More repeating images or actions in The Night Watch are the amount of conversations going on within the scene. No one in the scene seems to be making eye contact with one another however almost everyone is conversing. This gives off more of a relaxing mood in a darker environment providing the observer with the ability to feel more a part of the painting. 

While thoroughly analyzing this painting, spectators will most definitely notice the directions in which everyone is looking. This idea that comes into play when analyzing the direction people are facing is called the focal planes. The planes of seeing in The Night Watch are just about all out of the view of the spectator. The men seem to either be looking at another man in this painting or are looking into the background of what the artist does not show. While wondering what the men are looking a couple of possibilities come into play. These could only be part of the men in the room and Rembrandt only decided to complete the part that has Captain Frans Banning Cocq because of his importance. However, the more likely scenario is that Rembrandt was trying to make the group seem much larger. This would make sense because the painting would make the men in the center seem much more important and powerful by controlling more men. 

Ranging from the contrast and color of the painting to the repetitiveness and focal planes, The Night Watch was specifically made to force the observer to analyze multiple aspects of the scene. Through analyzing the whole picture, I came to realize that these men were drawn into this portrait to make the viewer believe that they were extremely important. Rembrandt painted this picture for the viewer at first glance to be impressed and to give hope to the ones being protected. However, if the painting was to be fully examined the viewer would realize that the people had a false sense of hope. These men were just the upper class giving themselves a thought that they were meaningful to society. 
