Settle down on one
of the seats and take Rembrandt easily, "as the leaf upon the tree";
settle down on another, and from the new point of view take him easily,
"as the grass upon the weir". Look at Van der Helst's fine company of
arquebusiers on one of the side walls; look at Franz Hals' company of
arquebusiers on the other; then look at Rembrandt again. Every minute
his astounding power is winning upon you. Walk again up the Gallery
of Honour and turning quickly at the end, see how much light there is
in the "Night Watch". Advance upon it slowly.... This is certainly
the finest technical triumph of pigment that you have seen. What a
glow and greatness.
After a while it becomes evident that Rembrandt was the only man
who ought to have painted arquebusiers at all. Van der Heist and
Frans Hals are sinking to the level of gifted amateurs. Why did not
Rembrandt paint all the pictures? you begin to wonder. And yet the
Hals and the Van der Helsts were so good a little while ago.
Hals and Van der Helst are, however, to recover their own again; for
the "Night Watch," I am told, is to be moved to a building especially
erected for it, where the lighting will be more satisfactory than
connoisseurs now consider it. Perhaps it is as well.
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