Saenredam's 'obiit' forms: A precursor to Malevich's Suprematism?
In an essay featured on artpress.com, Christophe Le Gac examines the relationship between Pieter Jansz. Saenredam, a 17th-century Dutch artist, and Kazimir Malevich, a Russian Suprematist. This analysis is inspired by the exhibition 'Sacrée architecture ! La passion d’un collectionneur,' set to run from May 29, 2020, to August 30, 2020, at the Musée de Flandre in Cassel. The display includes around fifty paintings from the Northern School, highlighting church interiors painted by both Catholic and Protestant artists, notably excluding Saenredam. Le Gac posits that Saenredam's works foreshadow abstraction, drawing parallels to Malevich's 'Black Square on White Ground' (1915). He references art historians Gary Schwartz and Jean-Claude Marcadé, along with contemporary artists Jan Dibbets and Pierre Besson, who recognize Saenredam's impact. Saenredam (1597-1665) primarily depicted Reformed churches, frequently omitting human figures.
Key facts
- Exhibition 'Sacrée architecture ! La passion d’un collectionneur' at Musée de Flandre, Cassel, reopening May 29 to August 30, 2020.
- Exhibition includes about fifty Northern School paintings from a private collection, focusing on Catholic and Protestant church interior painters.
- Pieter Jansz. Saenredam (1597-1665) is notably absent from the exhibition.
- Saenredam's paintings feature dark rhomboid funerary shields called 'obiit' (Latin for 'deceased') on white walls.
- Le Gac draws a parallel between Saenredam's 'obiit' forms and Kazimir Malevich's 'Black Square on White Ground' (1915).
- Gary Schwartz linked Saenredam to Piet Mondrian; Jean-Claude Marcadé is cited on Malevich.
- Contemporary artists Jan Dibbets and Pierre Besson cite Saenredam's influence.
- Pierre Besson's 2014 exhibition 'D’objets noirs et choses carrées' at La Chapelle du Genêteil echoed Saenredam's abstraction.
Entities
Artists
- Pieter Jansz. Saenredam
- Kazimir Malevich
- Piet Mondrian
- Jan Dibbets
- Pierre Besson
- Abel Grimmer
- Pieter Neefs
- Hendrik van Steenwick
- Cornelis de Man
- Isaak van Nickelen
- Emmanuel de Witte
- Jan Pietersz. Saenredam
- Hendrick Goltzius
- Frans Pietersz. de Grebber
- Jacob van Campen
- Johannes Vermeer
- Arthur K. Wheelock Jr.
- Gary Schwartz
- Jean-Claude Marcadé
- Christophe Le Gac
Institutions
- Musée de Flandre
- Guild of St. Lucas
- Rijks Museum
- National Trust Upton House
- National Gallery London
- Albertina Museum
- Fondation Custodia
- Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
- Musée Zadkine
- La Chapelle du Genêteil
- Arte
- artpress
Locations
- Cassel
- France
- Anvers
- Belgium
- Haarlem
- Netherlands
- Assendelft
- Delft
- Utrecht
- Alkmaar
- Saint-Pétersbourg
- Russia
- Amsterdam
- London
- United Kingdom
- Milan
- Italy
Sources
- artpress —