Customer Reviews

Pieter Saenredam, The Utrecht Work: Paintings and Drawings by the 17th-century Master of Perspective

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I first ran into the paintings of Saenredam on a visit to the Netherlands five years ago, and was fascinated by his work. The brilliant use of perspective and the draughtsman-like quality of his work really appealed to me. In it's painstaking quality, it reminded me somewhat of Northern Rennaisance painters. Yet the subject of these works was quite different. Saeredam's church interiors and exteriors have a serenity to them quite different from anything else.

I was very disappointed upon my return to the states because I could find little if anything about this great painter. If you've done a search here, you've seen that the only other books on Saenredam are out of print and hideously expensive.

I was overjoyed when I heard the Getty was bringing in the first major show of Saenredam's works in 40 years. I ordered this catalogue as soon as it was available. I was not disappointed.

This book features excellent reproductions of preparatory drawings and finished works, along with commentary that is interesting to the both the lay audience and those with more expertise. I heartily recommend it.

As far as I know, this is the only publication in English available on Saenredam, one of the great geniuses of Dutch art. It is very well documented (especially on the provenance history of each work), beautifully illustrated (the illustrations include his very rare drawings) and a must-have for anyone interested in Dutch painting of the Golden Age. Saenredam does not just paint churches; he captures the light, the air and the soul of XVIIth century Holland.