Vermeer´s technique

The Astronomer harmonizes space, color, and light to convey a single human activity, a unified moment in time. Perfectly staged, the scene is a subtle composite of interlocking diagonal, rectangular, or elliptical fields and has no empty or undefined surface. The composition is not narrative but rather forms the context of a sole figure, frozen in a pose of profound preoccupation.

Like many Vermeer characters, the astronomer is placed near a window on the onlooker’s left, which casts a glow on the man of science, revealing youthful freshness, sudden insight, and nervous anticipation. Expressive hands define the geometric space between the sympathetic figure and the celestial globe (drafted by Dutch cartographer Jodocus Hondius in 1600) and drive the forward movement of the body. The desk, framed by a thick tapestry, holds an astrolabe (precursor of the sextant) and a book. On the wall is a circular figure with radial lines.

The moment of discovery reflected on the astronomer’s face captures centuries of human fascination with the universe. The generic physiognomy, unremarkable features, untended hair, and drab attire draw the eyes to the illuminated face of the thinker, in a room where the only light is that of knowledge.

A model to all stargazers, old and new, Vermeer’s scientist reaches beyond the globe at hand into the mysterious continuum of time and space, charting, measuring, counting, categorizing, naming, recording. His contemporary counterpart, whether an astronomer exploring the cosmos or a biologist investigating the microcosm, is still guided by the light of discovery. Uncharted in Vermeer’s days, the spatial distribution of disease follows the evolution over time of agent, host, and environment and is the domain of those today who trace the time-space continuum of emerging pathogens, from Ebola to influenza and SARS.

Web resource  http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/Eid/vol10no1/about_cover.htm

The Baroque era through “The Astronomer”

Johannes Vermeer was one of the greatest of all Baroque painters.  His painting entitled “The Astronomer” is a true masterpiece that captures the mood of the Baroque era.Vermeer produced less than forty paintings in his lifetime, but their incredible detail and unique design made him famous.  One of his greatest works of art is “The Astronomer.”  This painting is a portrait of an astronomer in his office, examining a globe.  Like many paintings of this time period, the astronomer is seated by a glass window, the only source of light in an otherwise dark room.  While the wealth of the astronomer is not obvious, the fact that the astronomer can afford glass windows, a painting on his wall, and a shelf full of books shows that he is a rich man.  This portrayal of wealth is common in paintings of this time period.

The astronomer in this painting is a man of science.  He is not posing for his portrait, but rather he is shown performing his profession as an astronomer. This type of portrait was common in the Baroque era.  With a book open on his desk, he reaches for the globe, staring past it with a facial expression which reveals that he may have just made a great discovery.  According to some historians, the astronomer in this painting was inspired by Anton van Leeuwenhoek, who was born the same year as Johannes Vermeer.  Leeuwenhoek was the inventor of a microscope, and a master at astronomy and navigation.  Vermeer’s painting reflects Leeuwenhoek’s zeal for science.“The Astronomer” depicts not just a single man but the dawning of a new era of logical thought and scientific revolution.  In a balanced array of color and light, this painting captures the human fascination with the complexities of world around us.  This is a true masterpiece of the Baroque era.

By Matthew Elton

Web Resource   http://www.scribd.com/doc/1243/Johannes-Vermeers-ASTRONOMER