‘It is good candles which light the way’ c. 1640s

Jacob Jordaens created this work titled ‘It is good candles which light the way’ using brown wash and heightened white. The composition is striking for its chiaroscuro effects. The dramatic contrast between light and shadow creates depth, heightening the scene's emotional intensity. Jordaens organizes the figures in a pyramidal structure, a compositional technique that draws the eye upward, and lends stability to the image. Note the theatrical expressions and gestures which invite a reading of the image as a commentary on human folly. The figures surrounding the candlelight, with their exaggerated expressions, seem to highlight the absurdity of relying on superficial sources of enlightenment. Jordaens uses the candle not just as a source of light, but as a semiotic device. He destabilizes the established meaning of enlightenment, suggesting a critique of superficial appearances and the deceptive nature of sensory experience. This interplay between form and content invites viewers to question the nature of truth and knowledge.