Before Blessing at the Church of Hoogstraten

About this work

This painting shows a group of people in a church, with a priest in the center. He's wearing a white robe and has his back to us. To his left are two other men, one in a black robe and the other in a white robe. On the right side of the painting, there's a doorway with a wooden door that's slightly open. The church has a high ceiling with stained-glass windows, and the floor is made of stone tiles. There's a large painting on the wall above the group, but it's hard to make out what it depicts. The overall atmosphere of the painting is one of quiet reverence. The artist's use of light and shadow creates a sense of depth and dimensionality in the painting. You can explore more paintings like this one at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp.