Art News: ‘The Night Watch’ Sleepover, Fine Art Inspires ‘Wonder Woman,’ Top 20 Museums
The art world is full of fascinating exhibitions, intriguing discoveries, and moments that shape history. Here are some of the latest news items making art headlines.
Dutch Teacher Spends the Night With Rembrandt’s ‘The Night Watch’
“The Night Watch” (1642), Rembrandt van Rijn (By Rembrandt – www.rijksmuseum.nl : Home : Info, Public Domain, Link)
A Dutch teacher became the first person to spend a night admiring Rembrandt van Rijn’s “The Night Watch” in Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum.
The BBC reports Stefan Kasper was the 10 millionth visitor to the museum since it reopened in 2013. The status earned Kasper the prize of spending a night at the museum. Along with the chance to admire “The Night Watch,” the teacher was treated to a meal prepared by a chef from a Michelin-star restaurant.
“I still can’t believe it,” Kasper told AFP news agency. “I discovered characters that I have never seen before. They came to life in front of me. It’s an experience that is forever etched in my memory.”
“The Night Watch” is considered one of Rembrandt’s most significant paintings and one of Amsterdam’s most important artworks, according to Rijksmuseum director Taco Dibbits.
John Singer Sargent Inspired ‘Wonder Woman’ Aesthetics
The new “Wonder Woman” movie gave the classic superhero a modern look and feel. The inspiration for its aesthetics, however, was pulled from a centuries-old source.
According to Matt Jensen, the film’s director of photography, he and director Patty Jenkins were influenced by the colors, lighting, and portraiture of 19th-century American painter John Singer Sargent when designing the film’s look.
“His lighting style influenced the way that I lit the movie. I think Patty really responded to the beautiful soft light that [Sargent] used in his paintings on his subjects,” Jensen told Digital Spy.
The superhero movie, starring Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, is receiving positive reviews from critics and has grossed more than $300 million worldwide.
New Report Lists Top 20 Museums in the World
The Louvre in Paris (Photo courtesy of Denis McLaughlin)
A new report from the Themed Entertainment Association and engineering firm AECOM reveals surprising results for which museums are ranked as the top 20 in the world.
Smithsonian Magazine broke down the results of the report, which categorized museums based on the number of visitors they received during 2016. The study concludes the National Museum of China topped the list, having brought in 7.6 million visitors. The National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. was second at 7.5 million.
The Louvre, perhaps the most famous museum in the world, came in third with 7.4 million attendees in 2016. This is a 15-percent decrease from the prior year where the Paris museum received 8.7 million visitors.
Overall, the report shows museum attendance has been stable over the past few years, demonstrating tourists and locals alike still have an appreciation for art, artifacts, and relics.
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