FLASHMOB, WALLOP: WHAT A PICTURE!

Viewing much-reproduced, iconic paintings in the flesh (or, rather, canvas) can be a tad disappointing: for example, the most startling thing about looking at the original of the 'Mona Lisa' in the Louvre is that you can't actually see it for the scrum of tourists and their blitzkrieg of flash photography. 

One notable exception to this rule is Rembrandt van Rijn's 1642 painting, 'The Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburch preparing to march out' – or, as it is more commonly called, 'The Nightwatch' – housed in Amasterdam's Rijksmuseum...

I vividly remember seeing it for the first time, being captivated by its scale and striking intensity, spending some time just absorbing its richness of detail and, later, discovering the intriguing story behind the painting of the picture.

After being closed for a decade of refurbishment, the Rijksmuseum re-opened last month and to mark the event a flashmob invaded a shopping centre in Breda and – with seeming disregard for issues of health and safety, imaginatively and excitingly recreated Rembrandt's famous painting...

Brilliant!

You can read more about the painting here and in even greater detail here.