Adriaen Verdoel

ADRIAEN VERDOEL (Vlissingen, 1620 - 1692)
"St. Paul and Barnabas in Lystra".
Oil on panel.
Cradled.
It presents restorations.
Measurements: 76 x 110 cm; 104 x 136 x 5 cm (frame).

The present work represents the biblical episode narrated in the Acts of the Apostles (14:8-18), when Saint Paul and Barnabas are confused with gods by the inhabitants of Lystra after working a miracle. In the scene, the apostles try to prevent them from being offered sacrifices, proclaiming their human condition before the crowd.

Adriaen Verdoel, a 17th century Dutch painter linked to the artistic environment of Rotterdam, develops here a composition of remarkable narrative dynamism. The scene is organized around an elevated altar, where a priestly figure prepares to perform the sacrifice, while the apostles gesticulate energetically to stop the ceremony. The monumental architecture and the wide open space on the right generate a contrast between the drama of the foreground and the atmospheric depth of the urban landscape.

The directed lighting and warm chromaticism, dominated by intense ochers and reds, underscore the theatricality of the moment. Verdoel shows a special interest in the description of types and costumes, as well as in the inclusion of anecdotal elements -such as the bull destined for sacrifice- that enrich the narrative reading.

Executed on panel and later cradled, the work is a solid example of 17th century Dutch historical painting, where the biblical story is interpreted with the theatrical sensitivity and detail typical of the Dutch tradition.

Adriaen Verdoel was an outstanding exponent of the Dutch Golden Age who distilled in his work the technical heritage of his great masters, Leonaert Bramer and the famous Rembrandt. During his fruitful stay in Haarlem, where he entered the Gilda of St. Luke in 1649, he consolidated a style of warm tonalities and a psychological depth in the faces that has sometimes led experts to confuse his canvases with those of Rembrandt's direct school.