Johannes Vermeer, The Art of Painting
Johannes Vermeer was a seventeenth-century Dutch painter from the Baroque era. He was relatively obscure during his lifetime but rediscovery led him to become famous towards the end of the nineteenth century. Only about thirty-six works of his possible forty-five total works are known today (Liedtke). Many of his paintings seem to be in the same setting, his hometown residence in Delft. The works all appear to be in small rooms featuring women. The work I am presenting is no exception and is considered to be Johannes' most revered piece. Because of the very limited amount of pieces he produced, it is suggested to be one of his most important paintings due to its size (“Johannes Vermeer, The Art of Painting (Video)”). This is also supported by the fact that his family and descendants made an effort to keep it despite a downturn in economic circumstances (Janson). Johannes Vermeer demonstrates his masterful portrayal of light and allegorical caprice in The Art of Painting.
The painting is captivating in an almost inappropriate way. The observer seems to be watching onto two unsuspecting subjects in a moment that is private and vulnerable. On the left-hand side, the curtain is drawn back to reveal the two subjects: a painter and their subject, a woman. The way the curtain is pulled is almost as if the observer is lifting the curtain out of the way to watch the two. The woman's eyes are downcast and unnoticing of the observer. Also unaware of the observer, the painter is focused on capturing the image of the woman. It is though I must hold my breath and keep my hand on the drawn curtain to not disturb the intimacy of the moment. I would own a copy of this work of art.
Another interesting component of the painting is the alignment of the checkered tile. The checkered tiles create leading lines that draw our attention to the subject of the painter's painting, the woman. Vermeer uses the checkered tiles in his other paintings as well to frame the subject. The tiles are a common motif in his paintings of private scenes tucked away into the small rooms (Earle). The transcendence of this painting is again emphasized by focusing on the subject of the painter within the painting by the leading lines created from the checkered tile.
Leading lines created by the checkered tile
The Rise of the Merchant Class
During the seventeenth century, the Dutch had moved away from the aristocracy and the church. Instead, they had turned to self-rule leading to the rise of the merchant class and businesses such as the Dutch East India Company. Like the clergy and aristocracy, the merchants funded artists as patrons and desired to be represented in paintings. The merchants considered maps as fashionable and an adequate representation of middle-class life (Earle). In a nod to the merchants financing Vermeer's works, maps are seen throughout his paintings. Vermeer represents the merchant class as we see a large map covering the open space on the wall in this piece.
A map on the wall
The Expansion of Scientific Knowledge
Art historians have suggested that Vermeer had used a camera obscura to assist in his paintings. A camera obscura is a small pinhole device that uses a lens to project the inversion of an image onto a darkened space (Cascone). It is suggested that Vermeer had used this effect in developing this painting due to how he captured the light falling onto the curtains. It can be seen that the light on the curtains is captured in a kind of starry effect, where the light seems blotted and overemphasized. The way the light is painted is in complete juxtaposition to the light used to illuminate the rest of the room. The light used to illuminate the room is free of this blotted, overemphasized effect.
It is said that this effect, which is common to achieve in modern-day cameras, was only possible with a camera obscura (Liedtke). Vermeer would have the three-dimensional setting projected onto a two-dimensional plane in which he would be able to paint. To be able to do this and effectively capture the image does not diminish the quality of Vermeer's work, historians say, it would rather highlight his impressive use and mastery of technological innovations (Cascone).
Light on the curtain
Works Cited
Cascone, Sarah. “Did Vermeer Trace His Golden Age Masterpieces? An Artist Puts the Theory to the Test.” Artnet News, 11 Aug. 2017, news.artnet.com/art-world/johannes-vermeer-traced-masterpieces-1047359.
Earle, James. “Why is Vermeer's 'Girl with the Pearl Earring' considered a masterpiece?.” YouTube uploaded by TED-Ed, 18 Oct 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM_IzEAv5d4
Janson, Jonathan. “Critical Assessments: The Art of Painting.” Understanding Vermeer's The Art of Painting, www.essentialvermeer.com/cat_about/art.html.
“Johannes Vermeer, The Art of Painting (Video).” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-reformation/baroque-art1/holland/v/vermeer-the-art-of-painting.
Liedtke, Walter. “Johannes Vermeer.” Metmuseum.org, Oct. 2003, www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/verm/hd_verm.htm.
"The Art of Painting" is a wonderfully gorgeous piece and you're absolutely right in that Vermeer painted it in such a way that it looks like a point of view. I feel like I'm physically there and looking onto the artist and model. The detail of the work is incredible, the map in the background of the piece is detailed and the shadows in the painting give the piece a realistic three dimensional feel. The shadows on the curtain and map make them look textured and I feel like I would almost expect to feel the wrinkles on the curtain if I reached out to touch the piece.
ReplyDeleteI find the way that he potentially used technology to shape his artwork to slightly change the way I view this piece. I think it amazing that he mixed technology with art, and while I will be the first to admit that I wouldn't be able to reproduce this piece to the detail of his if I used the same technique, I do think I would be more impressed if it was all done by him.
Hi Gerald,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your thoughts on this captivating painting. I enjoyed your analysis and that fact that you drew our attention to the elements of the painting that you saw. The information regarding the use of the camera obscura and its effects on light are something that I had never heard before and it highlights how artists will use novel technologies to gain an advantage in pursuit of their art. I also loved how you pointed out that the curtain seems to be pulled back by the viewer and is an excellent example of the Baroque convention of pulling the viewing into the artwork.
Thank you for your post and analysis of this Vermeer piece. The multitude of things going on in this Vermeer piece make it truly a unique but odd one. This piece is odd in that the setting is of wealth and the and the merchant class beginning to get portraits completed. It is indicative of a unique period where people begin to realize that they are not simply 'viewing' but can 'be' art. I really enjoyed your analysis of the societal components and effect that Vermeer has on this artistic Baroque piece. In relation to Baroque this piece has that affect that you mention of the 'leading line' alignment. A truly Baroque-esque piece in terms of moving away from the illusionary components of the Renaissance art and now containing depth in a realistic studio setting of an artist painting a merchant per se. I find it quite beautiful and will add to the fact that these colors are not the typical dark tones dominating the image. Rather, the light is brought in the afternoon shadow of the painting. I notice these colors and see the green, tan, blue, and yellow tones. All of which make the piece beautiful in the differences it has as Vermeer, but still Baroque in the dulled tones they are painted as. Last note, I find the main characters the painting being at a peaceful moment but still extremely expressive of wanting wealth, status which is as you mentioned this 'rise of merchants' aspect. I wonder if they were of wealth or going to be 'wealthy'? Of course, this is an economic question for further discussion.
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