After the varnish is removed, the painting appears matte and gray. Rijksmuseum / Henk WildschutVisitors to theRijksmuseum in Amsterdam are watching one of Rembrandts mostfamous paintings,The Night Watch, change before their eyes. Behind a glass barrier, conservators are removing the paintings old varnish as it hangs on its gallery wallthe first step in the masterpieces restoration.Rembrandts 12.5- by 15-foot painting is being restored as part ofOperation Night Watch, the Rijksmuseums ongoing study of the 17th-century Dutch masterpiece. During the projects five-year research phase, experts re-stretched the canvas and examined the paintings physical components, discovering arsenic sulfide pigments behind its golden glow andlead in its base layer. The second phase of Operation Night Watch began this month when eight conservators started stripping away itsvarnishclear, protective layers often applied atop paintings.The varnish that is now on The Night Watch is discolored, has yellowed and it saturates poorly, so it really impacts the legibility of the paint surface, says conservatorIge Verslype in avideo from the Rijksmuseum. To treat this, we have to remove the old varnish. And as well, you can see on the paint surface there are many old, discolored retouchings. They often have been applied very broadly, covering original paint. So we want to remove those and apply new, fine retouchings.The Night Watch,Rembrandt, 1642 Public domain via Wikimedia CommonsThe Night Watch has undergone several revarnishings: one in 1975, after a manslashed the artwork with a bread knife; one in 1981; and one in 1990, after another mansprayed the painting with acid, reportsAgence France-Presse (AFP).Former restoration projects happened very quickly, as Rijksmuseum directorTaco Dibbits tells AFP. The current restoration will involve the application of a new varnish, bringing the painting as close as possible to its former glory, he adds.Finished in 1642, The Night Watch depicts a group of civicguardsmenAmsterdams 17th-century local police force. Rembrandt painted The Night Watch at theheight of his career, and its famous for the artists masterful treatment of light and shadow. Eight conservators are working to restore the painting. Rijksmuseum / Henk WildschutConservators are cleaning The Night Watch by applying small pieces of tissue, each lightly soaked in solvent, to the paintings surface, says Verslype. With that, we remove the bulk of the old varnish. They then use cotton swabs to remove remaining remnants of older varnish.I think the most exciting and perhaps the scariest bit is that the people are watching over our shoulders, conservatorEsther van Duijn tells AFP. But once you are working, you tend to forget that.Where the varnish has been removed, the painting appears matte and very grayish, Verslype says. As Dibbits says in astatement, It will be a truly unique experience for the visiting public to be able to follow the process from so close by. He tells AFP, You will be able to see The Night Watch, in a sense, naked, without makeup. Conservators are applying solvent-soaked tissues to the painting to remove old varnish. Rijksmuseum / Henk WildschutFor a conservator, removing a paintings varnish is an absolute privilege, asPaula Dredge, a conservationist at theUniversity of Melbourne, tells theWashington Posts Kelsey Ables. Its a moment of contact with the artists creation that very few people experience.Dredge adds the restoration is a process of discovery, in which we may find more of Rembrandt. She lauds the museums decision to open the operation to visitors.Collections in public institutions belong to the people, and they have the right to know what is being done to them, she says.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Art, Art History, Artists, Arts, Museums, Netherlands, Painters, Painting, Rembrandt, Renovation and Restoration, Visual Arts