Visitors to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam can’t miss one of the most famous Dutch Golden Age paintings – The Night Watch by Rembrandt. This painting is famous for its huge size and its subtle use of light.
Recently, the 17th-century piece has been the focus of attention for photographer Julius Rooymans and fashion designer Hans Ubbink who have created a photographic replica of the work using 22 lookalikes and several 3D printed props.
“At the time, Rembrandt first portrayed all those people individually and then made a composition of it. That is happening now. I’m going to photograph the Night Watch, with the same composition, the same costumes. And therefore also the same headlines,” explained Rooymans.
This new work is called “Nachtwacht 360″ (“Night Watch 360”) and isis on display between July 4th and August 4th at Oostenburgermiddenstraat 101, Amsterdam. It involves all of the lookalikes being styled to match their painted counterparts. To create exact replicas of items such as helmets and weapons, Rooymans and Ubbink enlisted the help of Dutch 3D printing company, Oceanz.
3D Printing Rembrandt’s Helmets and Weapons
The artists explained that, although finding 22 lookalikes was a tricky task, sourcing 17th-century clothing was even more difficult. They worked with collectors in the Netherlands and used old and new techniques to develop props.
It was searching for helmets that proved to be the most difficult task as Rooymans and Ubbink found that Rembrandt had painted helmets which didn’t exist outside of his imagination.
To recreate these props, the artists began working with Robin Brockötter, a 3D designer, who created models which could be 3D printed by Oceanz. The resulting prints were of helmets, collars and a partisan.
Frank Elbersen, a sales engineer at Oceanz 3D printing, said: “As a professional and Dutch 3D printing company, we at Oceanz are happy to be involved in the Night Watch 360 project. How beautiful is it to be able to bring this Dutch masterpiece from the 17th century to life with the innovative and modern technology of today?”
Source: Oceanz
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