Interior of a Dutch Church 1659

Rutger van Langevelt painted this interior of a Dutch Church with oil on canvas sometime in the second half of the 17th century. Its visual codes and cultural references tell us about the Protestant reformation in the Netherlands and its effects on the function of religious spaces. The church looks quite different from those in other parts of Europe, which were often filled with religious art and ornamentation. Here, the space is spare and unadorned, signifying a conscious effort to remove what were regarded as distractions from pure worship. A focus on the pulpit shows the importance of the spoken word in Dutch reformed churches. The congregation were expected to listen attentively and take notes, as some are doing here. In this way, the painting can be seen as a document of a particular set of social and religious practices. As art historians, we might look at architectural records or religious documents to understand the history of the reformed church in the Netherlands, and how artists responded to these cultural shifts. By studying the context in which the artwork was made, we can better appreciate its historical significance.