St. Peter Healing The Lame Analysis

One piece from the Legion of Honor that really stuck out to me was, “St. Peter Healing the Lame”. Completed in 1667 by the artist Gerbrand Van Den Eeckhout, the piece’s medium is oil on wood. the use of very dark colors along with the very contrasting light colors that make up the people make this piece catch my eye and i really feel like it brings a cool mood to the artwork.
Gerbrand Van Den Eeckhout is referred to as a golden age painter and was a student of Rembrandt along with others such as nicolaes maes, Ferdinand Bol, Govert Flinck. It has been recorded that his comrade students were better artists at the time but as you can see by the painting his work becomes very close to the level of skill performed by Rembrandt so he didnt hold
not only does the man on the floor seem distressed, behind him you can see a worried looking mother and their two children. The child on the floor seems to be handing something to the child being held but its difficult to be sure what he or she is holding and i havent had much luck finding background info to this piece online or in the book. Saint Peter appears to be hearing what the sick man is pleading but the way his arms are placed make it seem like he is questioning what the man is saying and isnt fully convinced the man is worth his healing. In the background, there are a few very statuous men who i can not fully confirm are people or actual statues. not only does the very still look lead me to believe they might be statues is that their body types are a very grey shade of color throughout the clothing and skin. it could just be the artists inerpretation of lighting that makes the men appear to be the same color throughout but it is difficult to be sure. In the deepest part of the painting there is another man who’s clothes appear to be more colorful than the other two men in the background and also possesses characteristics of a