Analyzing of Painting

Interior of the Oude Kerk (During a Sermon)

1660 by Emanuel de Witte

General

Emanuel specialized in the church interior and painting in old church. Also Emanuel was a follower of Calvinism which is characterized by emphasis on the doctrines of predestination, the irresistibility of grace, and justification by faith. This is the scene of the Oude Kerk Church during the sermon. Emanuel was especially concerned about atmosphere of the scene. His honest and real atmosphere was created by the sense of composition and use of the light.

Light

Overall pinky colour of the drawing gives an atmosphere of the lone and the hint of the time which sunrise or sunset. Light comes from west side of the church which means it is sunset in the late afternoon. Sunset used to make people to think a lot and solitude. In this drawing everyone is focusing on priest’s sermon except three people located in the bottom centre. They are excluded from the sun light that shine in. It seems that they try to avoid from the light or the God’s mercy.

Colour

Largely there are two colours in the drawing, black and white, human and the holy space. The black dress seems to represent the sins in front of God. However interestingly one woman on the bottom centre has a red colour on her dress. It shows who the main character of this picture is which the person Emanuel wants to express is.

Sound

The priest’s sermon is spreading throughout the huge silence church. It might occur echo effect. Everyone is listing the sermon quietly. However one woman is listening the sound of herself, self-reproach, regret, hatred, yearning, loneliness.

Composition

Overwhelming scale of the church is representing adherents as small creatures in front of the creator the Lord. Everyone is listening to the God’s voice from the priest but one woman with two babies who turning their body back from the priest. She seems to come to church to recover from the concern but she cannot seem to concentrate on the sermon. The priest and his follower seat far away from the woman’s location and they are drawn in a blur. It presents that they are out of her mind. Also there are wall in between the priest and the woman and we can hardly see her face but only nose. The location of the woman representing the spot God’s sight is not reached. The drawing showing the woman who tries to hide from God and needs God’s tolerant. The dog is looking at her with sympathy. Even The place where she has to feel free in the name of God makes her heavy. The long and dense lattices look like put her in the middle of the prison. The woman is overlapped with Emanuel’s second wife Lysbeth van der Plas. After the first wife died, Emanuel married with Lysbeth van der Plas, orphan in 1655. But she could not happy with her family for long time. She was accused in 1659 for sealing four times from the neighbour. She had to stay in the outside of the city. In 1660 when this drawing completed Emanuel’s wife was regretting and waiting her only family in the outside of the city wall. I think the woman who has her head down is Emanuel’s wife. Emanuel imagined his wife and express atmosphere what his wife feel and has in this drawing. I guess Emanuel seems to overcome his anxiety by the faith. He had spent more time in representing church interior after the arrest of his wife and child for thievery .But he could not get over it. Lysbeth van der Plas died in 1663 in the outside city wall and Emanuel became violence. Moreover he could not control himself. He hanged himself from bridge.