Saenredam

Pieter Jansz Saenredam (Jun 9, 1597, Assendelft — buried May 31, 1665, Haarlem) was a Dutch painter. Saenredam was the son of the print maker and draughtsman Jan Pietersz Saenredam (1565—1607), who was born in Zaandam or, in those days, Saenredam. A contemporary of Rembrandt, he is noted chiefly for his surprisingly modern paintings of churches. Saenredam achieved this modern look by meticulously measuring and making sketches of the churches he wanted to paint. He would make these sketches in pencil, pen, and chalk, then and add in water colors to help give the sketch texture and color. The sketches are very architectural in detail, they convey the interior atmosphere through the clever use of light and graduated shadows. Saenredam often deliberately left people out of his work, thus also focusing more attention on buildings and their architectural forms. Only after having made precise measurements, and precise sketches and drawings of the churches, he would take them to his studio where he started to create his paintings.

001 — Interior of the Church of St Odulphus, Assendelft - Oil on wood Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

002 — Interior of the Choir of St Bavo at Haarlem - Pen and black chalk on paper Schlossmuseum, Weimar

003 — Interior of St Bavo’s Church in Haarlem 1628 Paper, 174×263 mm Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels

004 — Interior of the Church of St Bavo at Haarlem 1630 Oil on wood, 41 x 37 cm Musée du Louvre, Paris

005 — Interior of the Church of St Bavo in Haarlem 1648 Oil on panel, 200 x 140 cm National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

006 — Interior of the Choir of St Bavo at Haarlem 1660 Oil on wood Worcester Art Museum, Worcester

007 — Interior of the Church of St Anne in Haarlem 1652 Oil on panel, 66 x 93 cm Frans Halsmuseum, Haarlem

008 — The Interior of the Buurkerk at Utrecht 1644 Oil on oak, 60 x 50 cm National Gallery, London

009 — Interior of the St Jacob Church in Utrecht 1642 Oil on wood, 55,2 x 43,4 cm Alte Pinakothek, Munich

010 — The Buurkerk at Utrecht 1654 Oil on wood Collection Six, Amsterdam

011 — Interior of the St. Jans Kerk at Utrecht - Oil on wood Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam

012 — St Mary’s Square and St Mary’s Church at Utrecht 1662 Oil on wood, 109,5 x 139,5 cm Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam

013 — The Old Town Hall in Amsterdam 1657 Oil on panel Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

014 — Interior of the Church in Alkmaar 1661 Pen and watercolor, 235×352 mm Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Vienna