Saenredam, Pieter (1597-1665)

Dutch painter. He specialized in architectural views, especially church interiors, and excelled in rendering effects of light and spaciousness. St Bavo, Haarlem 1660 (Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts, USA) is typical.

Saenredam was born in Assenfeldt and worked in Haarlem. He was a friend of the architect Jacop van Campen and was the first painter to concentrate on faithful representations of actual buildings, painting church interiors of immaculate austerity in pale colours and light tones. His works earned him the title ‘first portraitist of architecture’.