Emanuel de Witte - Artist Info

About Emanuel de Witte

  • Biography

    Emanuel de Witte (1617–1692) was a Dutch perspective painter. In contrast to Pieter Jansz Saenredam, who emphasized architectural accuracy, De Witte was more concerned with the atmosphere of his interiors. Though few in number, de Witte also produced genre paintings.

    De Witte was born in Alkmaar and learned geometry from his father a schoolmaster. He joined the local Guild of St Luke* in 1636. After a stay in Rotterdam, he moved to Delft and studied with Evert van Aelst.

    In 1651 de Witte settled in Amsterdam where his first wife, Geerje Arents, died in 1655. He then married a 23-year-old orphan, Lysbeth van der Plas, who exercised a bad influence on de Witte's adolescent daughter. In December 1659 both were arrested for theft...

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