Reformation and Dutch History in Painting

I was intrigued by the subtle message in the painting by Visscher, "The Souls," which I saw in Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam this summer.  The painting vividly shows a river that divides people into two sides, while boats from each side attempt to save people's souls and onlookers gather around the two banks of the river.  A closer look at the picture reveals fascinating details.  On the right bank, we see Catholic priests and bishops in red capes among a crowd of people. On the left side, Protestants are distinguished by the conspicuous display of the Bible in their boats.  In the background, a large rainbow symbolizes that the promise of God's salvation extends to both sides of the people; however, dark clouds permeate the sky on the right side while golden sunlight penetrates the sky on the left and shines through to that side of the river.  Similarly, the trees on the right side are withering while the trees on the left flourish with green leaves.  Most importantly, there are more people on the left bank and more drowning souls saved by the boats from the left side than from the right.This painting was done during the Dutch revolt against the rule of Catholic Kings of Spain in 1614, which was almost one hundred years after Martin Luther famously nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the door of All Saints' Church in Wittenberg against the practice of indulgence by the Roman Catholic Church in 1517.  The influence of Luther and the Reformation on Dutch history is clearly exhibited in this painting.  The people on the right side of the painting represent Catholics in the southern Netherlands who pledged allegiance to the Roman Catholic Church and the Spanish Kings, whereas the people on the left represent Protestants in the northern Netherlands who follow Luther's declaration that the Bible is the sole infallible rule of faith and sought independence.  The painter suggests that the Protestants in the north were gaining strength in the religious and political battles, as evidenced by the brighter sky, healthier trees, and more saved souls, while Catholics in the south were waning.  This stark contrast may reflect the painter's personal conviction and faith inspired by the scriptures below:

"The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon." (Psalm 92:12)

"That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither-- whatever they do prospers." (Psalm 1:3)

The history of the next two and a quarter centuries after the painting was done proved that such a divide in religion and politics would lead to many struggles and bloodshed between the two sides. Eventually, the Kingdom of Netherlands was split into a predominantly Protestant Netherlands in the north and a strongly Catholic Belgium in the south in 1839.  This year (2017) marks 500 years since the Protestant Reformation began with Luther's monumental declaration of faith in the Ninety-five Theses in 1517.  Luther and the Reformation he helped to usher in have fundamentally changed human history.  The painting of "The Souls" is indeed a powerful witness to the Reformation movement in Dutch history.  Who says painters are just artists?  He is also a humanist by heart!