Vermeer’s influence on the 21st century

In my last post, I talked about how Vermeer had influenced modern arts and, more concretely, poetry. The 21st century has been no less influenced by his genius, and, after having gathered a few bookmarks on Vermeer, I realized that a few of them had the same in common: Vermeer’s influence on the 21st century. In this post, I will attempt to show you how this artist is present in a vast number of different fields such as cinematography, Apple Inc., advertising or skateboarding.

One of Vermeer’s most appraised works,A Girl Interrupted at her Music (which is precisely the painting I am working on)  inspired the title of Susanna Kaysen’s novel: Girl, Interrupted. The former was made into a film in 1999 starring Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie and Brittany Murphy. The film is based on writer Susanna Kaysen’s account of her 18-month stay at a mental hospital in the 1960s. It scored an Oscar and a Golden Globe.  I will leave you the trailer of the film down below in case you are interested in watching the film. It summarizes the plot very well and it provides you with extra information:

 

 

The technology giant Apple Inc. has also been captivated by Vermeer’s immense art production. They have come up with an Application or App. called ‘Johannes Vermeer Art Gallery’  which brings his artworks to your mobile device through two galleries. Actually, it is also suitable for Ipod and Ipad and it can be downloaded fom their official Itunes Store for only $0.99.  Here’s a screenshot of what you would find:

 

 

The third field I want to pinpoint is advertising. Jan Vermeer’s has also reached this world and  inspired Nestlé’s well-known product range La Lechera. I have included one of the commercials which is currently on TV for you to compare Vermeer’s The Milkmaid with the flesh and bone milkmaid that Nestlé’s has devised:

 

 

Last but not least, I stumbled upon a company devoted to personalize anything with anything. One of the most interesting products they offer is ‘patinetas Vermeer’, where you can personalize your skateboard with any of Vermeer’s pictorial works for an affordable price. Here’s an image of my favourite one:

 

I could include many more examples and cases of Vermeer’s influence on fields that belong to our everyday life such as TV shows or more films (i.e. The Girl with the Pear Earring). Nonetheless, I will conclude by saying that, as far as I am concerned, his art will never grow old since its imagery and technique are so powerful that it will still influence many generations to come.

References:

• Girl, Interrupted (1999). In Imdb, the Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 16:44, February 2011, from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0172493/
• Girl, Interrupted (1999). In Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:28, February 2011, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girl,_Interrupted_(film)
• Johannes Vermeer Virtual Art Gallery (2009). In Itunes Store. Retrieved 19:46, February 2011,from: http://itunes.apple.com/co/app/johannes-vermeer-virtual-art/id330543535?mt=8
• Patinetas Vermeer. In Zazzle. Retrieved 13:22, March 2011, from: http://www.zazzle.es/johannes+vermeer+patinetas
• Yogures La Lechera (2011). In Youtube, Broadcast Yourself. Retrieved 16:57, February 2011, from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvQSGjJb8Cg
• Girl, Interrupted (2009). In Youtube, Broadcast Yourself. Retrieved 20:52, February 2011, from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4-GD1VqdOA

Johannes Vermeer & Modern Poetry

For all of us who have been working on Johannes Vermeer and constantly retrieving information on his life, background and artpieces, it is not  new that his influence still pervades on modern arts. While looking around the net in search for precisely that, his influence in modern arts, I stumbled upon this poem written by Ira Sadoff and published in the renowned The Virginia Quarterly Review: A National Journal of Literature and Discussion, and which I already shared with you on Facebook and Delicious, yet I thought it would be adequate to post it on our blog as well since it inspired me when trying to write my story on the painting I chose: A Girl Interrupted at her Music. Here it is, enjoy:

When her mother entered the room, he did not
look up. The young girl’s pale skin turned
white as the shawl she wore. He was pointing
to a figuration of counterpoint, or so
he said. But there was something in the room
of the body giving off light, light was moving
toward the window instead of from its source.
And though his hand still clutched the back
of her chair, the mandolin was covered by sheets
of music, the glass of wine had not been
touched. Though the air in the room seemed
lighter by the old woman’s leaving, nothing
so heavy as speech would be uttered between them,
for there were still lessons to be learned,
what was to be played would soon be played out.

References:

• Ira Sadoff (1976). In ‘The Virginia Quarterly Review’ (pages 112-113). Retrieved 17:38, February 2011, from: http://www.vqronline.org/articles/1976/winter/sadoff-vermeer-girl-interrupted/

A Girl Interrupted at her Music: ‘It’s all about the details’

One of the unique features of Dutch painting is its interest in creating realistic scenes of everyday life which, paradoxically, contain symbolic content indicating that there is more to the picture than what meets the eye. Right now, I would like to analyze what I consider to be the most outstanding elements or details of this painting. 

In order to do that, I have signalled in this picture, all the specific details that I will be considering.

First of all, we have a leaned, multi-paned window. I have included a modern drawing of that those windows were supposed to look like. The design was a complex pattern of interlocking squares. Although the window is almost invisible at first sight, it is, along with these black and white marble floorings, one of the most characteristic features of Vermeer’s interiors.

Secondly, we can observe a birdcage on the side wall. Conservators claim that the birdcage is an addition by a later hand since it is more freshly painted than the rest of the elements and, what is more, it was not part of Vermeer’s original design. Birdcages were a popular feature in Dutch painting and had various symbolic meanings such as the inprisonment of love. In my opinion, this later hand might be giving us a clue of what is happening between these two people.

In this painting, Vermeer included three examples of Spanish chairs. They were elements that belonged to the well-furnished houses of the well-to-do Dutch that I mentiones in my last article. In this picture, we can see one of the Spanish chairs in much more detail and we can also observe the carved detailing:

The thin-necked vaseis most likely a wine jug made in Delft, which was one of the principal centers of porcelain production in the Netherlands. They were trying to make imitations of Chinese porcelain with little success; however, they succeeded in making thin, light earthenware decorated in blue in the Chinese style, and they succeeded so much that their products were even exported to China. Also, in its heyday, more than thirty potteries operated in Delft.

The Cupid painting in the back wall might be there in order to reinforce the idea of amorous courtship. Vermeer experts point out that the Cupid might indicate that love is in the air; however, the painting inside out painting is in such a bad state that is it almost impossible to decipher the true story behind the Cupid painting. Nonetheless, there are several theories going around, and one of them assures that the hanging painting corresponds to this one that I am enclosing, although, of course, this is just conjecture:

The wine glass is depicted in such discretion that it could easily go unnoticed. However, it was introduced in order to enhance the theme of seduction. In fact, wine-drinking and music-making, both overlapping sujects in Vermeer’s interior designs were associated in the 17th century with love. Manners books established that wine should be drunk in two or three times. Here, the glass of wine stands untouched as if to underline the efforts on both parts (the cavalier and the lady) to maintain composure.

Another feature to take into consideration is the girl’s red garment. This element is perhaps the one that has suffered the most through agressive restorations, and nowadays looks flattened and without much substance. Most likely, Vermeer employed the technique called ‘glazing’ to achieve its cherry-red colour. Also, the type of headgear worn by the young woman (the linen cap) was partly ornamental and served to protect the hairdo before and after dressing. The Low Countries had been famous for cloth manufracture since the Middle Ages. It remained the most important part of the Dutch industrial economy.

The cavalier bends over the young lady and puts the music sheet in her hands. Although his eyes are lowered, experts say that his amorous purposes are apparent. Vermeer might have drawn inspiration from paintings such as Teasing the Pet by Frans Van Mieris even though Vermeer reworked the whole body language and facial expressions so as to show a much more restraint atmosphere. The similarities and diferences between the two paintings can be observed in the following pictures:

The last ‘detail’ I want to point out is looking out of the picture. In order to explain my point, I would like to quote Arthur Wheelock, a Vermeer expert:

Most Dutch genre painters included scenes with specific actions. However, Vermeer’s attempts at depicting movement or activities such as laughing and drinking resulted in artificial poses. In this painting, Vermeer arrived at the solution for this problem: the momentary interruption. This device allowed him to suggest movement without the need for specific gestures or facial expressions. She, rather than concentrating on the music they hold, looks out at the viewer.

Alberti, who invented linear perspective, suggested that artists might include a ‘commentator’ to guide the viewer of the painting through the painting  and to tell him exactly where to look. This sort of ‘insider’, who straddles two worlds (inside and outside the painting) is simultaneously in the work but not in the work. These pictorial commentators were a common motif in Dutch paintings. This can be appreciated in Van Baburen’s Loose Company, a contemporary of Vermeer (on the left). The young lady who looks out of the picture in A Girl Interrupted at her Music seems to have more on her mind than the protagonists of Loose Company. Her gaze is far more enigmatic than that of her smiling counterpart in The Girl with a Wine Glass (on the right), also by Vermeer.

Our lady seems unwilling or unable to tell us something and, in my opinion, her story cannot be fully understood. Nevertheless, the elements that I attempted to explain and analyze in this article might give us a clue of what is going on in this painting.
Ariane Sande

References:

• Topics and facts about the painting. (2010,2011). In Essential Vermeer. Retrieved February 19, 2011, from:  http://www.essentialvermeer.com/catalogue/girl_interrupted_in_her_music.html.
• Understanding A Girl Interrupted at her Music. (2010, 2011). In Essential Vermeer. Retrieved February 19, 2011 from: http://www.essentialvermeer.com/cat_about/interrupted.html.
• “La lección de música interrumpida”. (October, 2009). In Museo del Arte. Retrieved February 26, 2011, from: http://museodelarte.blogspot.com/2009/10/la-leccion-de-musica-interrumpida-girl.html.
• WHEELOCK, Arthur J. Johannes Vermeer, 1995. Yale University Press. Retrieved March 2, 2011, from: http://www.essentialvermeer.com/cat_about/interrupted.html

A Girl Interrupted at her Music: Understanding the painting

As I mentioned in my last post, my new article will deal with the background against which A Girl Interrupted at her Music was created.  First of all, I would like to consider the issue of courtship.  Courtship was a very popular motif and Vermeer made use of it in several occasions. However, the facial expressions of the protagonists do not give us a clue of what they are thinking or feeling. Therefore, we have to draw our own conclusions.  Is this a scene depicting a scene of amorous courtship? Is this merely a music lesson?

The well-to-do Dutch had very well-furnished houses. Many included elements such as carved furniture, glassware, exotic carpets or porcelain. All of these elements can be observed in our painting, and that  conveys the idea that the lady and the cavalier belong to the haute bourgeoisie of the times. Englishmen used to say that the furniture was so clean and in good order that Dutch houses appeared to be designed for an exhibition rather than for a living space. The concept of the Dutch room will be referenced back when analyzing the painting in upcoming articles.

In the 17th century, the association between music and love was a metaphor for an amorous relationship. In fact, music-making  was one of the activities which permitted young people to freely associate with each other without the presence of parents or older guardians. On the table, there lies a cittern, one of the most popular instruments of the 17th century and also one of the most frequenly depicted by Vermeer. A cittern sounds a bit like the virginal and it was used for accompanying the singing voice or for dancing music. The people Vermeer chose to represent would have ideally belonged to the haute bourgeoisie, who normally collected songbooks, one of which can be observed on the table. Songbooks played an important role in modern courtship. For instance, young musicians had a vast choice of foreign and local songbooks, which were called liedboeken or collections of love songs. These books frequently reflected the local culture containing references to favourite meeting places for lovers, taverns and so on and so forth.

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Until the 1630s, outdoor garden parties where young men and women caroused playfully had been a very popular motif. This can be observed in The Garden Party by Jan Steen, a contemporary of Vermeer. However, the key innovator, Willem Buytewech lost interest in this successful garden motif and decided to bring people indoors. He depicted the haute bourgeoisie as surrounded by luxury furnishings and decorative items such as wall maps. This is the trend that Vermeer will follow in order to create his famous interiors.

The last topic I would like to point out, is the fact that Vermeer inspires himself. A Girl Interrupted at her Music shares much with The Glass of Wine: both portray a gentleman attending a young lady in a moment of courtship, and the position of the couple is more or less the same.

Apart from getting inspiration from his own work, Vermeer also inspired his famous artpieces on painters such as Van Mieris or Metsu, also his contemporaries, and who also depicted scenes of courtship.

Now that we know a little more about the background that surrounded Vermeer and his creations, I will move on to consider, in my next article, the most outstanding elements or details found in A Girl Interrupted at her Music.

Ariane Sande

References:

• Understanding A Girl Interrupted at her Music. (2010,2011). In Essential Vermeer. Retrieved February 19, 2011, from:  http://www.essentialvermeer.com/catalogue/girl_interrupted_in_her_music.html.

A Girl Interrupted at her Music: Introduction to the painting

The painting I have been analyzing and working on is entitled A Girl Interrupted at her Music. In this first article I will provide you with a first approach to one of Johannes Vermeer’s most enigmatic but damaged pictorial artpieces; a brief yet useful introduction if you are interested in this particular painting.

A Girl Interrupted at her Music was painted in the Dutch Baroque style, using oil on canvas, as most of Vermeer’s other artpieces. Some scholars agree that it was painted between the years 1658 and 1659, and some others agree that, on the contrary, it was painted between the years 1660 and 1661. Nowadays, A Girl Interrupted at her Music, although it is very damaged, is part of the Frick Collection of New York.

On the right-hand side you can admire how the picture looks like with its original frame, and on the left-hand side I attempted to show you how big the painting is. I must confess my surprise when I took a look for the first time at the actual dimensions of this Vermeer, since, I thought it was much larger than it really is.

Now that we know the necessary and most relevant data about this painting, in my next article I will focus on the background against which this painting was created. See you all soon.
References:

• First approach toA Girl Interrupted at her Music. (2010, December 18). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 19:32, March 15, 2011, from:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girl_Interrupted_at_her_Music.
• Understanding A Girl Interrupted at her Music. (2010,2011). In Essential Vermeer. Retrieved February 19, 2011, from:  http://www.essentialvermeer.com/catalogue/girl_interrupted_in_her_music.html.

Ariane Sande