Michael Sweerts, 'Feeding the Hungry', 1646 - 1649

An old man clutches his walking stick and shuffles forward on stiff legs. Cold light picks out every line of his weathered face. His sharp eyes stare directly at us with a challenging intensity. Despite squinting against the brightness, his raised eyebrows seem to pose a question. A scruffy beard covers his flushed cheeks, while a scar marks the skin above one eye. He lifts a morsel of bread to his mouth. The artist painted the many subtle brown and ochre tones of his garments with remarkable sensitivity, allowing us to see their different textures and worn condition. The harsh light does not come from the sun, which sets behind the man with a soft, golden glow. Instead, the cold brightness seems to shine from nowhere, creating a theatrical effect. It highlights every detail, including the threads in his twisted stockings that sag into shabby sandals.

Around the central figure, people fill the scene. Many sit in the hunched position of the depressed. A man grips a parcel tightly, his cloak dragging on the ground, while the woman behind him eyes the bundle, perhaps suspecting that it contains food. Another man wraps himself in little but a blanket and holds out a hesitant hand, hoping for a share. A woman sits nearby, clutching a pot and turning her head away from us. Further back, a man with a long staff spoons soup into his mouth, while a small boy beside him lifts his hands, begging for the last drops.

Michael Sweerts was born in Brussels but spent several years living and working in Rome. Around 1650, he created a series on the Seven Acts of Mercy. Each painting is of nearly identical size and depicts one, two or three foreground figures set in dramatically lit landscapes. He positioned this scene in the soft Italian light he knew well, with a Roman archway visible in the background and cypress trees bending slightly in the breeze. During his Roman years, Sweerts learnt from other artists the technique of chiaroscuro, the strong contrasts between light and dark. He used it here to emphasise the drama of the situation.

Sweerts created the seven-painting cycle for Joseph Deutz (1624–1684), whose Amsterdam trading family were his greatest patrons. Deutz hung the paintings together in the reception room of his house, still standing at No. 450, Herengracht. Four of the paintings in the cycle remain in Amsterdam today (Rijksmuseum), including this work and Refreshing the Thirsty, which are both currently on loan to the National Gallery. The rest of the works are scattered across Europe. Harbouring the Stranger (Arp Museum Bahnhof Rolandseck, Germany) includes a haunting self portrait by Sweerts; Ministering to Prisoners is in a private European collection.

These acts of mercy come from the Gospel of Matthew (25:31–40). Augustine of Hippo and Benedict of Nursia first listed ‘feeding the hungry’ as the primary work of corporal mercy. Christ taught his followers to care for those in need through these compassionate acts. These pictures were meant to teach viewers about Christian charity. The old man’s direct gaze serves a clear purpose: to stir our conscience about helping others.