Johannes Vermeer (Delft 1632 - 1675)
Der Geograf - The Geographer - Detail (1609)
Ein Gelehrter im Hausmantel bei der Arbeit: Kartenmaterial, der Globus auf dem Schrank und der Stechzirkel in seiner Hand weisen ihn als Geographen aus. Im Raum verteilte Fachliteratur unterstreicht das theoretische Fundament; der Mann stützt sich im Wortsinn auf ein Buch. Doch unterbricht er seine durch und durch rationale, quantifizierende Aktivität und hält einen Moment lang inne, um auf das wirkliche Leben vor dem Fenster zu blicken. Damit wird die Szene letztlich zur Chiffre für Vermeers eigenes Schaffen, das sich aus beiden Quellen nährt, der perspektivischen Konstruktion einer Raumecke ebenso wie der eindringlichen Charakteristik der Erscheinung alltäglicher Gegenstände in Licht und Raum. Erstere basiert auf exakter Wissenschaft, letztere bleibt Domäne der Kunst und ist der eigentliche Ruhmestitel von Vermeers Malerei. Erweitert wird die Aussage durch ein Pendant (Paris, Louvre), das einen – vielleicht denselben – Gelehrten als Astronomen darstellt. Der Sternkundler braucht den Blick aus dem Fenster nicht, sondern konzentriert sich ganz auf einen Himmelsglobus und auf das vor ihm liegende Lehrbuch. Dementsprechend ziert dort keine schlichte Seekarte, sondern ein gedankenschweres Historienbild die Rückwand.
Quelle: www.staedelmuseum.de
Tags: Frankfurt Städel Johannes Vermeer The Geographer Der Geograph Hessen Hesse Deutschland Germany Frankfurt am Main
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Jan Vermeer (Johannes Vermeer), Delft 1632 - 1675
Die Malkunst / Die Künstlerwerkstatt / The Art of Painting (1666/68)
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Wien
This painting was long called The Artist in His Studio, and we may in effect presume that the artist seen from behind was himself. However, the intention of representing an allegory is stronger here than in all other Vermeer's works. The heavy curtain on the left, which lets the viewer partake of the scene, has decidedly theatrical connotations. So does the young girl whom the artist portrays, and whose crown of laurel easily identifies her as Fame. A connection with Clio, the muse of history, also exists. She holds a trumpet and a book of Thucydides.
The whole composition is a panegyric to the art of painting. Set in an elegant room, with a chandelier, chairs, the lush curtain, and a large map on the back wall, which shows the northern and southern Netherlands and indicates the area over which the reputation of the artist could spread, its overall meaning emphasizes the attainment of fame to the benefit of the man in the pursuit of his artistic endeavours as well as 'qua' citizen of his hometown.
The uncommonly large painting, considered from the pictorial viewpoint only, is rather decorative but lacks depth. Only its meaning makes it of particular interest. Repeated restorations may have contributed to the narrative rather than painterly excellence of the work. Such as it presents itself now, one cannot be astonished that it was formerly attributed to Pieter de Hooch.
Source: Web Gallery of Art
Tags: Jan Vermeeer Johannes Vermeer Die Malkunst Die Künstlerwerkstatt The Art of Painting KHM Wien KHM Vienna Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien Österreich Austria
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Jan Vermeer (Johannes Vermeer), Delft 1632 - 1675
Junge Frau mit einem Wasserkrug / Young Woman with a Water Pitcher (ca. 1662 - 65)
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
Tags: Jan Vermeer Johannes Vermeer Junge Frau mit einem Wasserkrug Young Woman with a Water Pitcher Metropolitan Museum of Art New York
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Jan Vermeer (Johannes Vermeer), Delft 1632 - 1675
Brieflesendes Mädchen am offenen Fenster / Girl Reading a Letter at an open Window (1657)
Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden
Acquired in 1724 by August III, elector of Saxony, together with a number of other paintings bought in Paris. The seller threw in the picture as a present, to sweeten the deal. It was then attributed to Rembrandt, and the ascription was subsequently weakened to "manner" or "school of." In 1783, it was engraved as a work by Govaert Flinck. The name "Van der Meer from Delft" occurred for the first time in a catalog dating from 1806, to be changed back to Flinck in 1817. From 1826 to 1860, the appellation was altered to Pieter de Hooch. It is only since 1862 that the correct identification obtains. The only Dutch provenance that could possibly apply is the sale Pieter van der Lip, Amsterdam, 1712, no. 22, "A Woman Reading in a Room, by van der Meer of Delft fl 110." Unfortunately, the text is not specific enough to distinguish it from the one at the Rijksmuseum, Woman in Blue Reading a Letter.
The above underlines the difficulties inherent to the establishment of Vermeer's catalog. Not a single work can be traced back to the painter's studio, nor are there any letters or contracts extant. The task of attribution rests squarely upon the shoulders of the individual critic, which explains the multiplicity of divergent opinions. In this painting, a young woman stands in the center of the composition, facing in profile an open window to the left. In the foreground is a table covered with the same Oriental rug encountered in the Woman Asleep. On it is the identical Delft plate with fruit. The window reflects the girl's features, while to the right the large green curtain forms a deceptive frame. She is precisely silhouetted against a bare wall that reflects the light and envelops her in its luminosity.
We are here confronted with one of the salient aspects of Vermeer's sensibility and originality. It is the stillness that stands out, the inner absorption, the remoteness from the outer world. She concentrates entirely upon the letter, holding it firmly and tautly, while she absorbs its content with utmost attention.
In the technique, the artist avows again Rembrandtesque derivation. He paints in small fatty dabs to model the forms, and obtains the desired effects by means of impasto highlights opposed to the deeper tonalities - just as the master from Leyden was wont to do. The painting is relatively large, and the smallness of the figure as opposed to its surroundings stresses immateriality and depersonalization. Vermeer considerably changed the composition in the course of execution.
Much has been written about the trompe-l'oeil effect of the curtain. It is a pictorial artifice used by many other Dutch masters and in keeping with an old European tradition. Rembrandt, Gerard Dou, Nicolaes Maes, and many still-life and even landscape painters made use of such curtains as a means of simulating effects that now seem theatrical. The light background can be found in many paintings by Carel Fabritius, the Goldfinch from 1654 at the Mauritshuis in The Hague being the most famous example.
Source: Web Gallery of Art
Tags: Jan Vermeeer Johannes Vermeer Brieflesendes Mädchen am offenen Fenster Girl Reading a Letter at an open Window Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister Dresden Niederlande The Netherlands Nederland Sachsen Saxony Deutschland Germany
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Jan Vermeer (Johannes Vermeer), Delft 1632 - 1675
Junge Dame mit Perlenhalsband / Young Woman with a Pearl Necklace (1622 - 1665)
Gemäldegalerie Berlin
In this painting, along with Woman in Blue Reading a Letter and Woman Holding a Balance, Vermeer attempted a composition in which he showed a single woman concentrating on some kind of occupation. In each case, the woman is shown turning inward with her thoughts, and using some minor physical activity to give herself some countenance. In this case, she gazes into a mirror while holding two yellow ribbons attached to a pearl necklace around her neck. The distance between the solitary figure to the right and the mirror on the wall, next to the window to the left, is filled by a heavy table slightly to the fore. This part of the painting is very dark, with nothing more than a Chinese vase and a rug irregularly covering the table to occupy the space.
The light falling in from the left, dispersed by the creamy bare wall, illuminates the meditative young woman admiring her reflection in the distant mirror.
In this instance, as well as in the above mentioned two, all emblematic explanations or identifications, such as truth, prudence, or others, do not apply. During these years, the artist was obviously preoccupied and influenced by Eastern thought. The stillness and introspection of the models reflect the search for aloof withdrawal and serenity as taught by Buddhist writings. It is in this sense that we must understand and appreciate Vermeer's creations during his maturity.
Source: Web Gallery of Art
Tags: Gemäldegalerie Berlin Deutschland Germany Junge Dame mit Perlenhalsband Jan Vermeer Young Woman with a Pearl Necklace
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