REMBRANDT'S 'THE NIGHT WATCH' WITH A CONTEMPORARY TWIST
A PROJECT BY DIGITAL ARTIST EDWIN NIKKELS
OWN THE 3,2 GIGABYTE NFT OR ORDER YOUR PRINT TODAY!
(Please, scroll down for more information)
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to RembrandtOnSneakers.com. My name is Edwin Nikkels, I'm a filmmaker and a digital artist working out of Amsterdam. One of my trademarks in my work is to combine the past and the present (or the futuristic even) and therefor I decided to use my digital art skills to modernise Rembrandt's classic masterpiece 'The Night Watch' by putting Captain Frans Banninck-Cocq and his merry men (and girl in gold) on sneakers!
'The Night Watch on Sneakers' in its full glory. (Logo applied for watermark purpose only.)
DETAILS​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​Top Left: Captain Frans Banning Cocq looks smashing on his black and red Nikes. Bottom Right: The golden Nike sneakers fit the dapper costume of the Lieutenant Willem van van Ruytenburch perfectly.
Brands depicted in the painting
The sneakers worn in 'The Night Watch 2.0' consists of a mix of popular sneaker brands and their iconic timeless models, including Nike, Adidas, New Balance and Reebok.
THE ORIGINAL 'NIGHT WATCH' REMASTERED
In the 17th century 'The Night Watch' was moved from its original location to the Royal Palace on Amsterdam's Dam Square. Because the painting had to fit between two doors, they cut down the painting on all four sides. Since then, the missing pieces have been lost.
Therefore – before I added the sneakers – I restored the painting – based on the official hi–res scan by the Rijksmuseum – to its former glory as on the day it left Rembrandt's studio.
These are the unique aspects of the restored version of original 'The Night Watch', a world first:
– Presented in its original format (including the pieces that were cut off);
– One seamless composition;
– Every pixel painted by Rembrandt himself;
– And it's in the colours on the day it left Rembrandt's studio.
'The Night Watch' as it was cut down in the 17th century, to fit between two doors in the Royal Palace in Amsterdam.
Read all about the digital restoration and the secrets of 'The Night Watch' here:
www.edwinnikkels.art​​​​​​​
WATCH THE MAKING–OF
3,2 GIGAPIXEL
Yes, you read it right, that's 3.200.000.000 pixels digitally restored. Manually. Why, you might ask? Because after the digital restoration, the original colours of the painting shine like never before. It's like 'remastering' an old film, a film that has been cleaned and is devoid of all dust and scratches making the experience all the more worthwhile.
After three months of painstakingly retouching the painting by hand, I had only 8 squares to go. Each of the 1920 squares measured 16 in x 16 in (40 cm x 40 cm) at a 72ppi resolution.
BEFORE & AFTER​​​​​​​
Left: Before retouching; Right: After retouching, and by colour–referencing the applied pigments, the colours are brought back to their original state. This results in a less yellow–brown painting, giving it an overall fresh look.
During the Dutch Golden Age, in Amsterdam, Rembrandt van Rijn was considered the 'Rockstar' amongst his portrait painting peers. At a young age – upon his arrival in the 'metropolis' – his skills were immediately recognised by the rich and famous and commissions started pouring in. At the age of 33, in1639, at the hight of his career, Rembrandt painted his masterpiece 'The Night Watch', which took him 3 years to complete.
After finishing 'The Night Watch', Rembrandt's fame reached far beyond the city walls of Amsterdam, yet – eventually  stubbornness, vanity and bankruptcy meant his downfall and after his beloved wife Saskia and only son Titus died, Rembrandt's once flourishing career slowly but surely came to an end, dying a penniless man in 1669.
THE PROCESS​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Far Left: The original painting. Left of the middle: The sneakers were photographed 'in situ' in the right light setting; Right of the middle: The cut–out sneakers put in place; Far Right: In Photoshop – by emulating Rembrandt's painting techniques – the shoes were blended in seamlessly.
An overview of all the sneakers put into place before the blending process.
A 1:1scale 'Night Watch on Sneakers' has adorned the interior of a popular apparel store in Amsterdam and has shown its worth by garnering attention through social media, attracting visitors from all over the globe, making 'The Night Watch 2.0' an instant classic.
ORDER YOUR PRINT NOW
If it's your living room, bedroom, (home) office or retail space, Rembrandt's 'Night Watch on Sneakers' is an iconic and timeless image that goes with pretty much every interior deco, if it's contemporary or classic interior design: this image will get people’s heads turning. So don't hesitate to contact me, to order your custom sized edition.
You can order your 'Night Watch on Sneakers' on a variety of materials, like plexiglass, canvas or dibond (aluminium), i.e. any texture to your liking and any material that fits the surface of your wall.
Your print comes with signed certificate of authenticity and will ship worldwide.*
STARTING PRICE IS
€499,- (Euro) or $ 565 (USD),- .**
To order, please contact me:
info@edwinnikkels.com ​​​​​​​ | +31 (0)6 - 14 69 01 69
*Please keep in mind that international (insured) shipment fees and packaging costs, especially outside the European Union, are substantial.
**Excluding VAT and shipment fees.​​​​​​​
★★★★★
"Thank you for sending this wonderful artwork."
– Robert Ho, Taiwan
'The Night Watch on Sneakers' presented in its original size, printed on canvas.
'The Night Watch on Sneakers' on a 1:5 scale on canvas presented with gold leaf baroque frame.
'The Night Watch on Sneakers' on plexiglass, resulting in a modern look with deep colours and a high gloss.
OWN THE NFT
It is possible to own the unique NFT of 'The Night Watch on Sneakers'. The NFT comes on a 32Gb golden USB flash drive, presented in a beautiful wooden chest, accompanied by a booklet with a signed certificate of authenticity. The USB flash drive will contain additional files (JPGs, TIFFs, PDFs and MOV) as found on the project–website.
As an extra the buyer will receive a framed high–quality art print, signed by yours truly and all will be shipped globally. So, be the owner of this unique artwork in the Metaverse and place your bid!
NFT DETAILS
Rembrandt's 'The Night Watch on Sneakers', after Rembrandt van Rijn by Edwin Nikkels (EST. 2022). A full scale digitally restored painting.
The original 3,2 Gigapixel file is on a 1:1–scale of 'The Night Watch', measuring 5,25 m x 4,35 m (17.2 ft x 14.3 ft) at a 300ppi, 8–bit resolution, making it ready for a laser–sharp 1:1–scale print.
Token ID: 95749280948447704405713125742635212218389194234877087335753337416166882148353
Smart Contract Address: 0x495f947276749Ce646f68AC8c248420045cb7b5e
The NFT comes on a 32Gb golden USB flash drive, presented in a beautiful wooden chest, accompanied by a booklet with a signed certificate of authenticity. Items may vary.
ORDER YOUR BESPOKE 'NIGHT WATCH'
It is also possible to have a custom Night Watch made, if it's for your company, your restaurant or hotel business; please don't hesitate to contact me.
Main Image: For the Amsterdam Canal Pride, I added the Rainbow-flag and the pink sash. At the bottom, 'The Night Watch' branded for FC AJAX Amsterdam football club, Heineken, Coca-Cola and Red Bull.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Edwin Nikkels: Film Director and Digital Artist
A filmmaker and digital artist by trade, a passionate storyteller at heart: Edwin Nikkels is always looking for visual impact by creating captivating imagery. Currently he is one of the most experienced and award–winning cross–media film directors and digital artists working out of Amsterdam.
At a young age, Nikkels' talent surfaced when he directed the first fully 3D–generated music video in the Netherlands. After completing The Netherlands Film and Television School, specialising in visual effects and multimedia, Nikkels started to work as a film director and digital artist.
Since then, he has collaborated with national and international advertising agencies, game studios and film and television production houses on projects for Coca–Cola, Nike, Nintendo, Nissan, Sony PlayStation and many others; many of these projects received international recognition, i.a. a Cannes Lion, a Webby Award and a Golden Epica.
If you ask Nikkels about his work, he comments: "It's about the visual. I want to lure the spectator in with captivating imagery and provide solace and comfort to a certain degree. There is a word for that: escapism."
Nikkels is a firm believer in the cross–media approach: "These are fascinating times. There is an unlimited amount of creative energy out there: advertising, art, entertainment, science... As a media–junkie I live and breathe to do it all."
You can find an overview of Nikkels' work here:
CONTACT​​​​​​​
Please contact me for further information or inquiries:
info@edwinnikkels.com | +31 (0)6
14 69 01 69

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