Christ instructing Nicodemus

This 1625 Christ Instructing Nicodemus depicts the nighttime meeting between Jesus and the Pharisee described in John 3, during which Christ speaks of being "born again." The nocturnal setting suited Jordaens' taste for dramatic lighting effects derived from Caravaggio's tenebrism. Jordaens, who outlived both Rubens and Van Dyck to become the dominant figure in Flemish Baroque painting for the second half of the seventeenth century, was particularly celebrated for his exuberant genre subjects, especially his series on the Flemish proverb about the King of the Bean.

The candlelit scene demonstrates Jordaens' mastery of Caravaggesque chiaroscuro, with warm light playing across the faces of Christ and Nicodemus to create an atmosphere of intimate spiritual instruction.