Focus on the work: Saenredam

Among the genres that became separate, autonomous ones in northern Europe in the 17^th century was architectural painting, of which the greatest exponent is considered to be Pieter Jansz. Saenredam, the subject of Focus on the Work in May. Among Saenredam’s principal achievements was his formal reduction of the subject aimed at increasing the sense of reality, giving compositions of this type a new identity. 

TheWest Façade of the Church of Saint Mary in Utrecht provides a remarkable example for an analysis of Saenredam’s work, his working method, technique and the genre in question. Dated 1662, the painting depicts a Romanesque church that was part of the city’s urban fabric but which disappeared when it was demolished in the 19^th century.

This conversation in front of the painting led by Mar Borobia, chief curator of Old Master Painting at the museum, offers participants the chance to learn more about all these themes and to discover the details hidden in this magnificent painting.