Poem on “The Art of Painting”

POEM ON THE ART OF PAINTING

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Why Johannes do you
paint me young when I’ve seen the birth of light?

Why with eyes down?

If I should be
ashamed of my own past…

If you should be ashamed
of yours…

Is not life joy and
thrill?

Why not a happy smile
in my eyes?

 

The light coming through the window in the painting
was more intense every time I looked at it. Time was passing by without me
being conscious of it. I started writing with the painter’s hands. My retreat
was his painting, but it seemed that he found refuge in my writing: one and the
same thing.

I was scribbling about every detail of the model’s
face, just as Johannes seemed to have painted it, with meticulous strokes. In
fact, I was painting every detail of her face with Vermeer’s hands. His hands
were mine.

 

My face does not
reflect my age

No traits, no
testimonies.

Why, Johannes, why?

I own all the
knowledge of having lived fully

My every act so
famous

You do not reflect
that

Light, Johannes, more
light.

You light me!

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 SOURCES

Valeriano Bozal (2003). Vermeer: el gran “voyeur”. Descubrir el Arte,
nº 48.
Consultado 20.03.2011 en
http://almendron.com/arte/pintura/vermeer/vermeer_01.htm

Jonathan
Janson (2011). An essential Vermeer bookshop. Consultada
20.03.2011 en http://www.essentialvermeer.com/books/books_vermeer.html

–

Conversación con el pasado: El Arte de la Pintura

Había
ido a Viena, y una vez en la ciudad no me quedó
más remedio que visitar sus museos. Esa mañana me tocaba ir al Kunsthistorisches.  Paseaba por sus galerías y me topé con él.
Sin ser consciente lo había estado buscando desde que entré en el edificio. De
hecho confieso que fue uno de los alicientes del viaje. Quería verlo. No sé
porqué, cuando lo vi por primera vez en una ilustración no me dijo demasiado.
Recuerdo que tenía que hacer un trabajo en la universidad sobre Vermeer. Hablar
sobre alguno de sus cuadros. Elegí ese, sin ningún motivo en especial. Intuí
que podría encontrar bastante información sobre esa pintura y que me sería fácil
escribir unos folios sobre él. No era el que más me gustaba del pintor, pero lo
escogí.

Cuando
veo por primera vez una creación artística como, por ejemplo,  una pintura, me gusta o no me gusta. Si me
gusta es que me atrae por algún motivo. Puede ser el tema de la obra, puede ser
los colores o las texturas que ha utilizado el pintor, los personajes que
aparecen, las luces de la pintura; en definitiva, lo que me importa es que me
impacte por algún motivo. Si me ocurre esto, me detengo y analizo con más
detalle la creación que tengo ante mí. Si no es así, paso al siguiente cuadro.
Con esta obra, El arte de la pintura,
o era, El pintor en su taller, o Alegoría de la pintura, no había sentido nada al verla reproducida
en alguna página web. Pero tuve que detenerme en ella por obligación, Y mis
sensaciones hacia ella cambiaron.

El
Kunsthistorisches es imponente, con esos atrios, esas columnas, esos techos,
las inmensas galerías, mármol, granito por todas partes, y esa cafetería para
descansar de tanto arte; pero todo ello no supuso para mí algo sobresaliente,
me lo esperaba de alguna manera. Yo necesitaba algo más. Necesitaba verla. Me
había tomado el café e inicié su búsqueda.

Pasé
por unas cuantas salas, deambulé por los pasillos, miraba cuadros pero no había
ninguno que consiguiera que fijara mi vista en él. Yo sólo quería estar frente
a uno. Después de un buen rato, o eso me pareció a mí, por fin llegó el
momento. Por fin lo tuve ante mí. De repente. No había querido buscarlo en la
guía del museo. Me producía mayor placer la búsqueda sin rumbo fijo. Cada nueva
sala, un nuevo sobresalto, una mirada anhelante por todas las paredes. Me costó
pero lo vi. No es una obra de gran tamaño. Pero para mí ocupaba todo el
espacio. Me detuve, lo contemplé. Me fui acercando despacio. Cada poco me
paraba y lo miraba. Ya no tuve más pensamientos que su disfrute. No sabía lo
que iba a suceder en mi cabeza. Hacia dónde me iba llevar la imaginación. Me
acercaba a él.

Al
principio tuve una visión de conjunto del cuadro. En seguida mis ojos fueron
fijándose en detalles aquí y allá. Pero sin centrarse en ninguno, como
queriendo acapararlos todos de golpe. Casi, casi, una atracón de sensaciones,
de figuras, de colores, que, aunque conocidos por mí, me resultaban diferentes.
Tenía ante mí la obra original. Y eran otras las emociones que en mi interior
se estaban produciendo. No es posible comparar una reproducción digital con la
obra real.

Me
serené. Y empecé a disfrutar. Mi sensación del tiempo y el espacio se alteró.
Ya estaba junto al cuadro y mi imaginación echó a volar. No sé si tenía los
ojos abiertos o ya no hacía falta.

Me
fui deteniendo en cada uno de los elementos del taller. Vi la silla junto al
cortinaje. Estaba vacía. Me recordaba a las que tenía mi abuela en su casa.
Pero sin saber porqué preferí sentarme en el suelo, a la derecha del artista.
Pero apartada. Podía tener de esa manera una buena visión de la escena. Era ya
avanzada la mañana y la luz entraba de lleno por la ventana. Clio no se movía.

Clio,
la Historia ante mí. Por mi cabeza pasaron muchos pensamientos sobre el
significado de la fama y del saber a lo largo de los tiempos. Ahora no los
recuerdo, o sí, pero no vienen al caso. Yo estaba en ese momento viviendo un
momento importante de mi historia y eso era lo realmente importante para mí.

La
habitación del taller era espaciosa. Me fijé en el colorido del cortinaje, sus
estampados. Luego mis ojos se fijaron en las telas de la mesa y en la máscara
que había sobre ella.

En
ese momento el artista comenzaba a esbozar los ojos de la protagonista. Es un
elemento del retrato de una persona que siempre me ha parecido fundamental para
captar la esencia del rostro. Quería ver lo que él plasmaba; intuir lo que
pretendía trasmitir de la Historia. Pero la modelo tenía los ojos entornados,
la mirada bajada, y así la retrató.

¿Porqué Johannes me pintas joven si
he visto nacer la luz?

¿Porqué con los ojos entornados?

Acaso me tengo que avergonzar de lo
vivido.

Acaso te avergüenzas tú artista de
tu pasado.

No es la vida ilusión y alegría.

¿Porqué no me pintas una sonrisa en
la mirada?

            La luz que entraba por la ventana
cada vez era más intensa. Pasaba el tiempo pero no era consciente de ello. Mi
realidad era la mano del pintor. Fue trazo a trazo perfilando el rostro de la
mujer.

            Por mi rostro no
parece haber pasado los años.

            No hay rasgos, no hay testimonios.

            ¿Por qué Johannes?

            Yo poseo la sabiduría de haber
vivido,

            y tú no lo reflejas.

            Luz, Johannes, luz. Ilumíname.

 

            Atardecía cuando hubo terminado todo
el rostro. De repente sentí un golpecito en el hombro. Me estremecí. Un
vigilante me dio a entender que el museo iba a cerrar y tenía que marcharme.

Junto a mí, otra mujer estaba parada
frente al cuadro. A ella también le tocó el hombro. Yo la miré entre extrañada
y cómplice. Me miró a su vez. Fue un instante. Ella sonrió y retiró la mirada.

Sonó
el timbre. Maldita sea. Me había dormido; eran las ocho, la hora que empezaba
mi clase de Inglés para Fines Específicos: gracias a Dios mi presentación era la última y aún tenía
tiempo…. ¿Y quién tocaba el timbre a estas horas? Abrí  y asombrada, vi a una mujer bajar corriendo
las escaleras. Me recordaba a alguien. ¿No era la modelo del cuadro?.

Sources

Valeriano Bozal (2003). Vermeer: el gran “voyeur”. Descubrir el Arte,
nº 48.
Consultado 20.03.2011 en
http://almendron.com/arte/pintura/vermeer/vermeer_01.htm

Jonathan
Janson (2011). An essential Vermeer bookshop. Consultada
20.03.2011 en http://www.essentialvermeer.com/books/books_vermeer.html

–

Story of Woman with a Peal Necklace

This is the story I wrote for Claire, with this the analysis I have already published should make sense.

Magic Mirror in the Wall

Lucette had just left her bedroom, leaving Merel in bed. Merel opened first one eye, and then the other, it was so warm under the covers, she could not even think about getting up. She always wondered why days would come so fast each morning. The morning noises started to invade her bedroom little by little, her sisters would probably be already up, it was her honour and curse to be always the last one at the breakfast table, she was also everyone’s favourite, so she took advantage of the situation.

Merel sat in bed and saw a thin but strong ray of sunshine entering the bedroom through her window, designing new shapes and shades with the objects on her table. For some reason she felt happier. Winter had just left, and it was not until mid spring that they were offered sunny days like that one.

Merel waited for Lucette to come back and help her with her dress. Her wardrobe was full of dresses bought and chosen by her mother, only Alessandra, her eldest sister, could choose the colour of her dresses, she was considered to be old enough. Mother certainly loved yellow. Merel was sure it was because of the colour of the sun, and the lack of it in Delft. Mother use to tell them they were the sunshines of the city. Merel loved to hear that, and she enjoyed running with her sisters in the parks of the city, as petals sliding above the lawn. She opened the window and took a deep breath of the fresh air that flew just outside her window, as if invisible birds flapped their wings for her. It was quite cold, so she half closed the window again. Lucette came into the bedroom and smiled, surprised Merel was already up. She normally had to enter two or three times before the youngest lady of the house would get up. Her wardrobe was full of blue, pale rose and yellow dresses, a few of them were green, which Merel had taken from her eldest sister because they did not fit her anymore.

‘Which colour are you feeling today, miss Merel?

‘Green.

‘It looks like a promising wonderful day, doesn’t it? I believe Madam will make the kitchen prepare some sandwiches and you’ll spend the day outside. It will do you good, miss Merel! You are looking paler and paler each day!

Merel made a grimace and looked at her reflection in the mirror. No, she didn’t. Or perhaps she did, but it was the cloudy and depressing weather, it wasn’t her fault. Lucette had told her plenty of times that she was made to live in a southern country, where it never rained, and warm nature would embrace and welcome her everyday. But her mother, on the other hand had always whispered in her ear, that the paler she looked, the more beautiful she was. Merel had heard her mother had milk bathes, but she could not believe it, because when she ordered Lucette to prepare her a milk bath, Lucette had laughed and refused to do so. Merel at the time had been a child, sweet nine years old. She was fourteen now, a mature and full grown up person.

‘Did I tell you my sister is getting married? To that Scottish sailor I told you about. He has these crazy ideas and promises that my poor sister believes with no hesitation. Don’t listen to men, Miss Merel! All lies, all lies, they only want to use you for children.

Merel smiled. Lucette had a huge balloon about to explode in less than two months time. How could old people say one thing and then do another completely different?

‘That Scottish fellow wants to take her halfway around the world. She will not like it, believe me Miss Merel.’ Lucette finished doing up the last button on the back of her dress. ‘What do you want today for your hair? Would you like me to make a bun and use the grey and red ribbon to make it still?

‘Yes please, Lucette.’

‘Could you sit down in this chair, please Miss Merel? Here, I’ll move this dirty laundry, I’ll bring it downstairs later,’ she put it on the table and Merel sat down on the chair next to her bed, while Lucette sat on her bed ‘I need to sit down, this baby will end up killing me. Listen to my piece of advice Miss Merel, no man is good influence. Look! Look the state I am now!’

‘But aren’t you happy Lucette?’

‘Oh… well, yes. But that is not the point! It’s nine months of suffering they don’t have to endure! You will see, and you will remember my words sweet miss! My sister met this man on the port one day she was on her way to work, and now they are getting married! When I was her age things did not happen that way!’ Lucette was the eldest of five, and she was ten years older than her sister. ‘There! Finished! Don’t forget to wash your face before coming downstairs for breakfast. And put some colour child, or you will vanish!’

Lucette closed the door, forgetting to take with her the dirty laundry. Merel shrugged, she would have to come upstairs to make her bed anyway and then, she would probably see it. She put on her yellow fur jacket and she rolled up her sleeves. She looked at herself in the water basin, touching the water with the point of her index, changing her image over and over again. Was she that pale? And did it matter? Wasn’t she the most charming young lady of the house? She plashed a good amount of water and a little moan escaped her lips. It was too cold, Lucette had probably put it there first thing that morning, when the house was still not warmed up. Lucette used to do that type of things, she knew Merel would not complain and she was so slow in the mornings, that from time to time she needed freezing water to wake her up. She felt much better. She looked at her face in the little mirror in front of her and smiled. She had never liked her mouth, the awful teeth, as if each of them had sprouted after she lost her milk teeth. And still, her smile was considered one of the most charming smiles of the promising ladies of Delft. Lucette said it was her eyes, which glittered at the same time she smiled, and people did not pay attention to her mouth when they were dazzled by her gaze.

Lucette had left the brush on the table. Merel took the powder blush which was next to the window and with the brush she dressed her cheeks with the colour of summer. Alessandra had taught her that he redder the colour, the more attention would be drawn on her, so Merel knew she had to apply a little bit of brown pearl and a touch of red. Her mother had forced her older sisters and her to wear jewellery since they turned twelve. Twelve was the time when girls became young ladies in her family, so Merel had been used to wearing diamonds, blue agate, and magic pearls for two years. She loved her pearl necklace; her father had given it to her when she turned thirteen. It did not matter her face was pale, as long as she wore that pearl necklace, she knew she was invincible. Merel often wondered who had found each pearl, where had it been made and the story of how her favourite piece of jewellery had been created. She had asked her father, but he did not know the answer. By the time she was ready to go down to have breakfast, the sweet sentence Lucette had told her since she was a child popped in her mind:

‘Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?’

She smiled happily, it had been a while since she last thought about that. Lucette had told her, it had been her own mother who used to tell her that when she was a child. Merel probably will tell that to her daughters when she would brush their hair in front of the mirror. She would of course have Lucette helping her when her girls would be babies, and then Lucette would turn them into little women and Alessandra would teach them how to put their make up on, and they would also be friends with Lucette’s children. She smiled at her reflection. Maybe someday, someone would write a story with that same sentence. But for the time being she was happy to have a magic mirror, a sweet Lucette, yellow dresses, Alessandra’s advices for young ladies, a common smile and glittering eyes. It was going to be a wonderful spring day.

A story behind a Mirror

As I have mentioned in many other articles, one of the mist important elements that the spectator could see in The Music Lesson, is the mirror that is hung on the main wall of the central scene.

In this article what I am going to try to do is to explain the intention of Vermeer when he decided to include this element and which are the elements that this object reflects.

Let’s begin saying that one of the thing that we can see reflected in the mirror is a reflection of a corner of the table, but we can also see what appears to be the legs of the artist’s easel and behind that, maybe a leg of Vermeer’s stool.  However, and as some art specialists as Philip Steadman have established, there is another element in the top left hand corner of the painting: a small rectangle. But, what is this small rectangle of?

As Philip Steadman wondered that little rectangle could be a glimpse of the back wall:

Finally, and if we already know the position and size of everything in the room, we  could work out the angle of the mirror easily enough because we could see the corner of the table both in the room and in the reflection, and  then, we would know the exact length of the room(something which had never been worked out before). It turns out that the dimension corresponds nicely to an exact number of repeats of the tile pattern on the floor. It also allows for three equal-sized and equally-spaced windows, of which only two are generally visible in the paintings. Not only that but Philip Steadman is one of those analysts that looked at some of Vermeer’s paintings, and found that when he carried the angles of view in a number of the paintings back to meet the back wall, via the viewpoint of the picture, the size of the resulting rectangle on the back wall was the same, in each case, as that of the actual painting. This was for paintings that were of varying sizes, and whose viewpoint in the room was not the same in each case:

Sources:

-Grand Illusions Article: The Mystery in the Mirror. Retrieved on 23 May from http://www.google.es/search?q=As+Philip+Steadman+wondered+that+little+rectangle+could+be+a+glimpse+of+the+back+wall&rls=com.microsoft:es:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7GPEA_es

The Depiction of the Last Judgment Scene in the Arts

In Christian theology, the Last Judgment or the Final Judgment is the last and eternal judgment of every nation by God. The scene is found in all the gospels, and is supposed to take place after the resurrection of the dead and the Second Coming of Christ. This belief has inspired numerous artistic depictions of several genres, as is the case of the picture-within-the-picture which appears in the background of Vermeer’s work Woman Holding a Balance, as I mentioned in my first post.

"The Last Judgment", by Stefan Lochner

Roman Catholics believe that immediately after death, each soul undergoes a particular judgment, and depending on the actions and good or bad deeds that the person has carried out throughout his life, his soul will go to heaven, purgatory or hell. The Catholic Church teaches that at the time of the last judgment Christ will come in his glory, and all the angels with him, and in his presence the truth of each man’s relationship with God will be laid bare, and each person who has ever lived on earth will be judged with perfect justice.

"Day of Judgment", by Hans Memling, 15th century

As the Last Judgment is also called the Weighing of Souls, very often the scene is represented by showing a balance, as the painting below. This scene was often depicted in Romanesque sculpture as a decoration of church tympanums. Once we know this, the connection between the balance and the judgment in Vermeer’s work becomes evident. As Robert Huerta defends in his book Vermeer and Plato: Painting the Ideal, the image has been variously “interpreted as a vanitas painting, as a representation of divine truth or justice, as a religious meditative aid, and as an incitement to lead a balanced, thoughtful life.”

Detail of the tympanum at Autun cathedral, France

In brief, it is important that we take into account the symbolism that is obviously present in Vermeer’s work, and especially in his painting Woman Holding a Balance, where the scene of the Last Judgment seems to have a clear connotation and connection with the protagonist of the painting who is holding the balance.

References:

• Essential Vermeer, Woman Holding a Balance. Retrieved 11:20, April 15, 2011 from http://www.essentialvermeer.com/
• Wikipedia, Last Judgment. Retrieved 12:00, April 17, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Judgment
• Google Books. Vermeer and Plato: Painting the Ideal, by Robert D. Huerta. Retrieved 13:28, May 18, 2011

Some facts about “Diana and her Companions”

In this painting, Diana can only be recognised by the crescent moon she is wearing in her hair and by the hunting dog that is sitting next to her. Because of her characteristics as a goddess, she has also   been identified with Artemis   (goddess of the hunt, wild animals, wilderness and virginity; and she brought and relieved disease in women). As it can be seen in the picture below, both of them carry bows and arrows representing their nature as female hunters.

As for the nymphs, two of them are simply resting on the rock and another one is cleaning Diana’s feet using a brass water basin. This water basin has Christian undertones, since it may be suggesting that Diana is cleaning herself both physically and spiritually; even if some critics have also argued that it may be symbolising death. In addition, there is a fourth nymph who keeps herself apart and contemplates the scene from a certain distance, as if she were trying to hide something. She is Callisto, and what she is hiding is her own pregnancy, indeed. The problem is that when Diana chose her nymphs, she made them all take the vow of chastity. Obviously, Callisto broke it when she became pregnant. Diana is not aware of this issue in the scene, but the legend says that when she found out about Callisto’s pregnancy, Diana turned Callisto into a bear and expelled her from the court because she felt betrayed. Therefore, this is the reason why Callisto is dressed in black, and her dressing clearly contrasts the brightness on the foreground – which is emphasised by the women’s bright dresses – with the darkness on the background. As it can be noticed, there is nothing one can see on the background of the painting apart from a tree and absolute darkness.

Apart from that, it can be observed that Diana is placed in the middle of a circle created by the nymphs. The circularity of the painting is then conveying the idea of unity, balance and repose, at the same time that it suggests that the relationship between the goddess and her nymphs is quite close and comfortable. However, Diana has never been described as a relaxed goddess, but as the opposite. She is characterised by her bad temper and this is made evident in the moment when Actaeon breaks in. This is the true Diana, and not the one portrayed in this particular scene. She could have imagined that a masculine figure is about to appear though, since there is a thistle between her and the dog. This plant is the first that blooms in spring, and it also a symbol of masculinity. However, everything points at the fact that the goddess was not aware of this little detail, since her reaction may have been different if she knew that a man was going to interrupt her sacred moment. Unfortunately for him, Diana has also human characteristics, and this put an end to the hunter’s life.

References:

• Diana and her Companions. Essential Vermeer. Retrieved: May 11, 2011 at 15:30 from http://www.essentialvermeer.com/catalogue/diana_and_her_companions.html
• Johannes Vermeer. Britannica. Retrieved: May 11, 2011 at 15:36 from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/626156/Johannes-Vermeer
• The Greek Goddess Artemis. Goddessgift. Retrieved: May 11, 2011 at 16:00 from http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myths/greek_goddess_artemis.htm
• Actaeon. Encyclopedia Mythica. Retrieved: May 11, 2011 at 16:00 from http://www.pantheon.org/articles/a/actaeon.html

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

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

“The Glass of Wine” Johaness Vermeer

In the first part of the article, I have given you a brief introduction about the apinting and then we have analyzed the painting in more detail. In this second part, I will like to center in the painting technique used in “The Glass of wine” and I will also like to mention where did Vermeer take his inspiration from.

Johaness Vermeer- 17th century

The painting technique used is oil on canvas and it contains figures situated in a bright light and spacious interior. The figures are situated in the middle ground rather than in the foreground. It is important to understand that Vermeer was only 27 when he painted “The Glass of Wine” and it is considered one of Vermeer’s mature works. Therefore, although many scholars have stated that this is not one of Vermeer’s best painting, I think that when analyzing an artist, we should take all his works into consideration in order to make a conclusion. But we cannot forget that, as we change throughout the years, artists also change their technique and style.

But, did Vermeer come up with the idea of this painting or did he take it from a former artist? Well, it is said that Vermeer took the idea from the older master’s work “A Dutch Courtyard” 1657. Vermeer only took the idea of a woman drinking wine, as well as the figures drinking around a table. But the aims of both artists were completely different as we can see below:

Pieter de Hooch- 1657

Johaness Vermeer- 17th century

Taking into consideration both paintings, we could conclude that Vermeer’s work breaks away from the one of Pieter de Hooch. Vermeer has set his painting in an interior because from now on interiors are going to be where painters are going to center and they are going to leave the outdoor aside. Here Vermeer gives a far more elegant and higher-class setting than Pieter de Hooch. We can see that it is far more elegant due to the clothes of the figures, the patterned tablecloth and the stained window, which suggests a wealthier setting. However, we can see that the idea has been taken from the Hooch because the main idea remains similar.

Moreover, comparing this work to this earlier paintings, Vermeer’s brushwork in “The Glass of Wine” is subdued, although the clothes and faces of the figures are depicted with smooth outlines. More detail has been given to the tablecloth and to the window, where he has applied detailed linear brush strokes. As we have mentioned before, this was not considered Vermeer’s finest but as I have mentioned, when we want to get a whole idea about an artist, all his works must be considered in the same way.

To sum up, in this second part I have tried to give you a more technical analysis of the painting and as I have said in the previous article, the last article will be centered in some curiosities about the painting itself, together with other paintings.

References:

• Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wine_Glass
• The complete interactive Vermeer catalogue, http://www.essentialvermeer.com/catalogue/glass_of_wine.html

“The Glass of Wine” Johannes Vermeer

Johaness Vermeer- 17th century

The artist of the painting “The Glass of Wine” is Johaness Vermeer (1632-1675). He painted “The Glass of Wine” between 1658-1660. The painting is also known as “Lady and Gentleman drinking Wine” or in Dutch “Het Glas Wijn” and it portrays a seated woman and standing man in an interior setting. Nowadays, the painting can be found in the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin. The work is typical of the genre painting (images of domestic life, views of households, courtyards…) of the Delft School developed by Pietr de Hooch around 1650. It is a painting of the Baroque style, which it is characterized by its great drama, deep color, intense light and dark shadows.

But what does the painting suggest? It is important to take into consideration that the predominant figure in Vermeer’s works is usually the female character. However, sometimes the male figure intrudes into a domestice scene. This painting as can bee seen, is set in a daylight burgeois room and there is a man encouraging a young woman to dring wine. Wine is in my opinion the central motif in Vermeer’s work due to the fact that it was a forbidden pleasure for women. If a woman was intoxicated on wine, it was considered as a kind of sin. Furthermore, alchool was the first steo towards whoring.

If we now have a thorough look at the painting, we can see that the lute laid aside and the scattered sheet of music add a sexual undertone offset by the couple’s heavy clothing. The emblem of the 27th century was “If music be the food of love” (taken from Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”). However, as we can see, their bodies are hidden behind fabrics and folds. His body is covered with a cloak and as we can see, he has not taken his hat yet. Her body is covered under a heavy dress and she is also wearing a headdress. Moreover, as it can be noticed, there is no physical contact, the man is the only one looking at the lady but she cannot see him because of the headdress and the glass that she is holding as can be seen in the image below:

Johaness Vemeer- 17th century

As we have seen, there are characteristics that imply that the couple like each other, they feel a kind of desire, but at the same time, we can see that the heavy clothes mean that there is nothing between them. The open window is emblazoned with an emblem of temperance and it is important that we center in the window, because although it is open, there is not even a glimpse to the outside world. Scholars have suggested that the painting should be analized as a straightforward seduction.

To sum up, we have seen how one has to look carefully at the painting in order to be able to have a critical analysis of the painting, as there are many things related to sin, sex and temperance. In my opinion it is difficult to know whether the couple are attracted to each other or not because I think that their state of mind remais hidden and it is us, the ones who have to decide what kind of relation they have. Perhaps Vermeer wanted the viewer made their own conclusions as well as letting us being creative about it. If you want to learn more about the painting, I will write a second part about the painting technique, and finally, I will made a thir part with some curiosities that I have found.

References:

• Wikipedia,  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wine_Glass
• The complete interactive Vermeer catalogue, http://www.essentialvermeer.com/catalogue/glass_of_wine.html

View of Delft III

Vermeer’s View of Delft and his Vision of Reality, an article by dr. Arthur K. Wheelock, jr. and Kees Kaldenbach

Another complete article about Johannes Vermeer’s painting View of Delft. This time, the text offers us also some planes of the city and of the perspective in which the painting was done.

In the words of teh authors, the aim of teh article is to examine the nature of Vermeer’s image, both to understand the manner in which he created such a naturalistic impression and how he has transformed a topographical view into one that is powerful and audacious in the way Thoré-Bürger and others have described.

References:

- Vermeer’s View of Delft and his vision of reality [online]. [17-05-09]. WWW Page: http://www.xs4all.nl/~kalden/verm/artibus-hist1982.htm

View of Delft I

View of Delft, by Johannes Vermeer, a guided art history tour through this painting

This is a webpage full of detailed information about the paint of Vermeer. I use it in my presentation of the picture. In the web, you can fine information about the way the painting is done and information about how Delft is depicted in the picture. There is also information about what has changed in the city. And there are link through the text that link you to more details, that will appear at the top of the text.

There are also references to other paint by Vermeer and to other analysis and interesting webpages of View of Delft. You can also email the author of the analysis.

References:

- The ‘View of Delft’ by Johannes Vermeer, a guided art history tour through this painting [online] [17-05-09] WWW Page: http://www.xs4all.nl/~kalden/verm/view/Vermeer_main.html