Art lesson of the week: The Night Watch

you know about flash mobs where people enter into a public space and sing?

Well, this one is a classic example of staging a miniplay to advertise a painting exhibition:

 The Night Watch is one of the classic paintings by Rembrant:

The painting was commissioned around 1639 by Captain Banninck Cocq and seventeen members of his Kloveniers (civic militia guards). Eighteen names appear on a shield, painted circa 1715, in the center-right background, as the hired drummer was added to the painting for free.

so who were these guys? Again Wikipedia:

Schutterij refers to a voluntary city guard or citizen militia in the medieval and early modern Netherlands, intended to protect the town or city from attack and act in case of revolt or fire.

They also patrolled the streets at night to keep the city safe, but according to Grok did not arrest criminals.

Did the Schutterij Arrest Criminals? No, the Schutterij did not have a primary or dedicated role in arresting criminals.

Criminal apprehension and prosecution were handled by the schout (sheriff or bailiff), a judicial official appointed by local lords or city councils. The schout's duties explicitly included: Investigating crimes. Apprehending suspects. Presenting them to magistrates for trial. Enforcing sentences (e.g., executions).

In  contrast:

Schutterij members, as part-time volunteers, occasionally supported these efforts indirectly—such as aiding in crowd control during disturbances or guarding prisoners—but this was not their core function.

and like many groups, their civic duties gradually were replaced by professionals and the groups became a social club. 

By the 18th century, the schutterij had largely become ceremonial and ineffective for active policing, leading to its replacement by professional forces under King William I in the 19th century

more here:

Rembrandt's famous The Militia Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq, better known as The Night Watch (1642), was an ambitious and not entirely successful attempt to show a group in action, setting out for a patrol or parade

and here is a video lecture about the actual painting.