The Rijksmuseum is one of my favourite places on earth, and this painting was inspired by a visit there in 2017. The most celebrated painting in the collection, Rembrandt’s The Night Watch, is usually teeming with crowds, but I entered the room on my second or third lap and a young woman seemed to have the painting to herself, and was utterly transfixed. I wanted to capture that, so I made some notes and thumbnail sketches, and a few years later was able to complete this painting back here in Melbourne.