Page of Interior of a Church by WITTE, Emanuel de in the Web Gallery of Art, a searchable image collection and database of European paintings and sculptures (1100-1850)

Pixel Size(659,800)

Interior of a Church

c. 1660
Oil on canvas, 80 x 66 cm
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg

It was in the 15th century, that artists and architects began to make perspective studies for their own sake, inspired mainly by the book of Alberti on painting (1435). Alberti opened his book with an ingenious method for spatial construction based on central perspective. In the 16th century perspective study turned into perspective fantasies in the form of imaginary architecture, often highly elaborate, sophisticated and Mannerist. This interest in perspective and architectural ornament also caused the emergence of painters who began to specialize in this field. One of the inventors in this area was the Dutch painter Hans Vredeman de Vries. He influenced Dirk van Delen, whose follower was Pieter Jansz. Saenredam, one of the greatest master in this field.

Emanuel de Witte was also a great architectural painter. His interiors are always in use, they have a human atmosphere, in contrast with Saenredam's paintings where, if human beings occur, they are small and not at all eloquent, they are just there to measure the spatial dimensions of the building, not to bring it to life as a building that is used.