Utrecht, The Mariaplaats with the Mariakerk, Pieter Jansz. Saenredam - 1659

by Atelier Liesjes

It represents a cityscape of Utrecht with the Dom tower in the middle, the tower of the Buurkerk on the left and the former Mariakerk on the right, which was demolished in two phases in the first half of the 19th century. The square in front of this church is now called Mariaplaats. On the left you can see a high wall with gates giving access to the gardens of the houses where the blankets of the chapter of the Mariakerk used to live.

In 1636 Saenredam stayed in Utrecht for five months. In that period he drew all the major churches inside and out, including the Mariakerk (Church of the Virgin Mary). Until his death in 1665, he incorporated these sketches into a number of paintings. He drew the sketch for this painting on 18 September 1636. So he made the painting 27 years after he made the drawing.

Mathematical, geometric whole with clean lines and arches with perspectives.

Pieter Jansz. Saenredam (Assendelft, Holland, Netherlands June 9, 1597 - Haarlem, buried May 31, 1665) was a Dutch painter, draughtsman and printmaker, who became especially famous for his cityscapes and refined drawings and paintings of the interiors of churches, in which the line perspective is beautifully expressed. He was the first painter who took the interior and architecture of churches to the subject with many mathematical lines, arches, pillars, perspective and depth. The results of his meticulous work radiate warmth, atmosphere, space and serene tranquillity.