Much has changed since Adam Willaerts painted his masterpiece ‘View on Dordrecht from the mouth of the Noord’ in 1629. Nevertheless, the church, both inside and outside, is still a much painted, photographed and filmed building.
Photographs
We can no longer imagine how revolutionary the very first photo must have been. It all started in the 19th century, with ingenious inventors who are now almost all forgotten.
Since photography became accessible to the ‘common man’, the Grote Kerk has been captured many times on the ‘sensitive plate’.
Video and film
Moving images, initially on film, grew from a small-scale new invention at the end of the 19th century into one of the most important forms of communication and entertainment.
The making of moving images by private individuals took off with the introduction of the (digital) video cameras around the 1990’s.
Fine arts
Although photography and film certainly make up parts of the fine arts, attention is paid here to other forms of fine art, such as sketches, etchings, water colours and paintings. Throughout the centuries the Grote Kerk has been depicted many times. Works of art are privately owned and hang in museums all over the world.
Exhibitions
Various exhibitions are organized in the Grote Kerk, often in one or more of the side chapels.