Pieter Jansz Saenredam was one of the greatest Old Masters of Dutch Baroque Painting's Golden Age. Known for his whitewashed church interior paintings, he began to paint buildings with architectural faithfulness and realism, throwing away the traditional style found in Mannerist works, which relies on fanciful imagination instead, making him an innovator of Dutch Realism. He is also known for his Protestant art that contrasts the more colorful and dramatic art of the Catholic Counter-Reformation movement. Early Years Pieter was born on June 9, 1597, in Aseendelft, Netherlands. He learned art from his father, Jan Saenredam, who worked as an engraver as well as a map maker. From him, he learned how to sketch and paint. But when Pieter was 10 years old his father died. What remains of his family moved to Haarlem two years later. In 1612, his mother enrolled him into an apprenticeship with Frans Pietersz de Grebber, who was a portrait and landscape artist. …show more content…
But what made him famous was his paintings of churches. For the first time ever, an artist has discarded the Mannerist traditions of painting the inside of structures using only the imagination and followed a Dutch Realist approach of depicting Baroque architecture. His extensive knowledge of architecture may have come from contemporary architects he has known, one of which is Jacob van Campen whom he met in Frans Grebber's studio. he also has known ties with Pieter Post and Salomon de Bray, both who are also known for the Dutch Baroque style. Pieter's work is often done in chalk or pen and pencil, after which he'll use watercolor to give it texture. His works are noted for being exceptionally detailed, using geometry and even light, coupled with graduated shadows, to give the paintings the looks that they were images of inside a structure. The measurements of these interiors are precise, creating the linear perspective that gives depth to the