European school; c. 1850.

European school; c. 1850.
"Cloister."
Oil on tinplate.
Measurements: 34 x 24,5 cm; 44 x 34,5 cm (frame).
This work is heir to the Spanish Baroque not only because it offers us an image set in the seventeenth century, but especially for its formal characteristics. The subject itself, the interior of a church, was in itself an independent genre during the Baroque period.
This 19th century painting shows all the characteristics of a genre established in Flanders in the 17th century, centered on the representation of church interiors, generally royal, perfectly identifiable for the citizens of the Flemish cities of the time. In these works, the magnificence of the empty space and the richness of the architecture stand out above all, leaving the narrative in the background. The figures are reduced to pure anecdote, functioning only as ancillary narrative elements of the scene. The two main representatives of this genre were Pieter Neefs I (1578-1661) and Hendrick van Steenwyck II (ca. 1580-1649). They were the fathers of the genre and its main disseminators, although they approached the subject in different ways. Neefs generally painted real churches, aiming for absolute naturalism, and was especially interested in marking the depth of space, generally depicting the entire length of the nave of the church, including the vaults, with dark foreground and illuminated floors. In his work figures, usually painted by another artist, are used to mark perspective. Neefs also reflected the daily life inside the church, unlike Steenwyck, who preferred to depict scenes of religious worship. In addition, the latter was less interested in the representation of space vertically; his compositions will be more horizontal, without depicting the height of the naves. Thus, the work we present here is perfectly framed within the group of followers of Pieter Neefs I: we see a vertical composition, reflecting the height of the nave, with everyday scenes in the lower plane and a play of light that reinforces the three-dimensional construction of space.