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The Girl with the Pearl Earring

By Johannes (Jan) Vermeer (1632-1675)

Oil on canvas 1665

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

The Dutch Baroque master painter Jan Vermeer was born in 1632 in the city of Delft in Holland otherwise known as the Netherlands. We do not know a great deal about him however he did produce relatively few paintings most of which were small in size. According to records, he died in debt in 1675 at the age of 43 leaving a wife and eleven children. Highly regarded and considered one of the greatest of the 17th century Dutch masters Vermeer fell into relative obscurity but was then rediscovered in the mid-19th century.

The 17th Century Baroque era in Holland, considered the Dutch Golden Age was a period of astonishing wealth and the merchant middle class flourished during this period with thriving local and international trade. Numerous products, such as spices and silk were imported introducing the merchant class to other cultures. Unlike the countries to where Catholicism was the predominant religion and where the Church and State sponsored large scale public commissions patronizing many artists, the private collector from the Dutch middle class was the painter’s principal patron. Primarily still lifes, or genre scenes which focused on everyday life were the most popular and paintings became a highly valued commodity.

During this prosperous period, Vermeer and many of his peers portrayed Dutch middle class domestic interiors focusing on the occupants engaged in daily life. Very few religious scenes were painted in the reformed Protestant faith in the Netherlands at this time. Dutch Calvinism forbade religious paintings in the churches however they could be displayed in private homes. Vermeer’s genre scenes were very simple with hardly any narrative yet filled with wonderful light and meticulous attention to detail and rich in jewel-like color. Capturing that one instance in time his images were painted in such a way that the “rest of the story could be created by the observer.” Vermeer painted usually a single figure performing a simple everyday task. Evoking a sense of calm and peace he painted cool clear light and his use of rich color resonated throughout his scenes of domestic life. Vermeer’s interiors are usually lit by one window on the left. Inheriting from Early Netherlandish painting a meticulous eye to detail, Vermeer had an extraordinary ability to reproduce light.

There has been some evidence Vermeer employed the use of mirrors and the camera obscura “an ancestor of the modern camera in which a tiny pinhole, acted as a lens, projected an image on a screen or the wall of a room”. Most likely he would have used this optical device to help with perspective, composition of the piece, tonal differences in color and painting contrasting edges of color instead of hard lines. This is apparent in this work of art with the broad areas of light and dark shaping the girl’s head. An x-ray photograph reveals the presence of lead paint which implies this white pigment was used as under painting where light on the screen of the camera obscura would have been seen. Another result from the camera obscura was the occurrence of circles of confusion. These were images which would have been projected from the lens of the camera appearing out of focus. Vermeer by painting these images as small touches of color would give the impression, while not in focus up close, would appear to blend far away giving a three dimensional effect. Vermeer was able with his incredible knowledge of color to understand that shadows are not devoid of color and dark, light is comprised of colors and adjacent colors affect one another. The perfect example of this occurrence is the complementary afterimage where “the eye retains briefly a red image of a green stimulus; thus, a white area adjoining a green will appear “warm” (slightly pink)”. Playing a significant role in Vermeer’s genre paintings, it is believed he viewed the role of women in the household with great respect. He portrayed approximately forty images of women among the relatively few paintings he produced. It is thought he held the belief that they were responsible for not only rearing children but carrying out daily chores and preserving order and traditional values in everyday life through the generations.

ABOUT THE PAINTING:

This enigmatic painting of a girl with a pearl earring is one of Vermeer’s finest works. She is captured at a moment in time leaving the viewer to wonder what task she was interrupted completing. This type of painting is described as a “tronie”, a Dutch 17th century head painting not proposed as a portrait. This painting most likely was listed in his inventory after his death as one of the “two tronies painted in the Turkish manner”. Vermeer’s exquisite execution paying great attention to detail and use of wonderful light leads the viewer to question the importance of this girl and why this was not intended as a portrait.

Painted initially with a muted palette Vermeer then applied the rich, saturated colors for which he is known. Utilizing very expensive pigment in his paints- lapis lazuli and ultramarine he was able to create his rich colors. The creamy tones he also uses give a luminescent quality to the girl’s skin and the pearl earring. A cooler palette dominates this work with the intense cornflower blue of the turban however the yellows of her jacket and headscarf warm it up significantly. Depicting the rich material of the beautifully painted turban and jacket, Vermeer exhibits his masterful use of “tonal variations” depicting folds and the fine material. The painted turban was used among Vermeer’s contemporaries as a popular object exhibiting influence from other countries.

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Tag Archives: Dutch Masters

July 12, 2013

REVIEW: Girl with a Pearl Earring: Mauritshuis Masterworks at The High Museum Atlanta

By lance aram rothstein

Guest post by Karen Nurenberg Rothstein

Recently I had the pleasure of attending the Press Review for the exhibition:Girl with a Pearl Earring: Dutch Paintings from the Mauritshuis at the High Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, running through September 29, 2013

This exhibit included Johannes Vermeer’s masterpiece “Girl with a Pearl Earring” along with 35 selected paintings by other 17th Century Dutch Masters such as: Rembrandt van Rijn, Jan Steen, Carel Fabritius and Frans Hals to mention a few. It is an extraordinary exhibit, and is the first time the “Girl with a Pearl Earring” has been viewed in the United States in 17 years. She has never before been exhibited in the Southeast.

Emilie Gordenker is director of the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis in The Hague, Netherlands. She traveled here with the exhibit and gave us a perspicuous idea of what it took to move these masterpieces and told of the renovation taking place at the Mauritshuis. This caused its closure until mid 2014, making it possible to lend such a large number of masterpieces at one time. When the presentation was over, all attending went up to view these prestiges works of art.

Entering the exhibition you first see the Girl with the Pearl on a full panel wall as if to announce her presence inside, but before gazing into her eyes you’ll travel through four different genre of 17th century masterpieces: Landscapes, Still Lifes, Genre Scenes (scenes of everyday life), and Portraits. Each category will be a memorable one.

Jacob van Ruisdael’s painting, “View of Haarlem with Bleaching Grounds” (oil on canvas ca. 1670–1675) was a most interesting painting because it revealed the historical techniques of bleaching linen, a major industry for Dutch Haarlem. The painting, which is viewed from atop the dunes, presents a scene looking down onto the fields, where strips of linen are spread out and basking in the sun after being soaked with buttermilk, a product that acted as bleach. Ruisdael excelled in Dutch landscapes, and it shows in his execution of light and dark tones which take your eyes where he wants to lead you. This artist has truly mastered the use of clouds, and it’s interesting that most landscapes of the time were done as sketches and then taken back to artists studios for painting. So getting these clouds to look as they do was truly a feat. Ruisdael leads the viewer’s eye from the fields of linen with workers, to the buildings where the fabric was soaked, onward to another field and upward to the city and the famed church of Saint Bavo with it’s steeple taking you up into the fabulous clouds of Heaven. Because Holland is a very low lying country, you’ll find that the sky took up 2/3 of most landscapes, giving clouds great importance. Take a bit of time to see how the clouds part, sending sunlight onto the canvas in the proper places. Today this patch of land, once covered with strips of linen, has been replaced by stripes of tulips.

Pieter Claesz’s painting “Vanitas Still Life” (oil on panel 1630), shows a scene which includes a turned over glass, a burned out candle with an ever so delicate stream of fading smoke, a timepiece, and a pile of books with a scull and quill pen atop. The pictured items are all symbolic of time passing and would have carried an important and obvious moral message to the 17th century viewer. They would have seen this as a clear message: Don’t let vanity prevent you from leading a virtuous life. Claesz was a master at what he did, making each object he painted look so real, as if you could pick it right out of the painting. He was among the first to use muted colors, including shades of grey, brown, and yellow to achieve such a realistic effect. “Vanitas,” meaning “vanity” in Latin, was a genre of 17th century still-life painting portraying different collections of items which all held important moral symbolism. Each emphasized the transience of life and passing of time leading to inevitable death. There are several other examples of Vanitas in this exhibit. Many of the same objects appear in each of them, even though they are by different artists. This may seem strange, until one realizes the symbolism behind them.

The Goldfinch by Carel Fabritius is a well known masterpiece and was conceived as a trompe l’oeil, meaning “deceives the eye.” This technique uses optical illusion to portray realistic images in a three-dimensional manner. In this exhibit the painting is framed, but it was originally intended to be hung high on the wall, perhaps even in an indented area, flush with the wall, appearing as a real pet on its perch. The brush strokes in the bird’s feathers make this famed little fellow look as if he just landed and has not yet settled his feathers. The Goldfinch is one of only several existing works by Carel Fabritius, as he came to a tragic death while in his studio painting, while still quite young. His death was caused by the well know explosion of the Delft powder magazine which destroyed most of the city of Delft in 1654. Many of his finished paintings were destroyed at the same time.

Jan Steen, “As the Old Sing, So Twitter the Young”
Oil on canvas ca. 1668-1670
Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis

Jan Steen’s “As the Old Sing, So Twitter the Young,” is a wonderfully executed oil on canvas ca. 1668-1670. This masterpiece shows again, much of the symbolism which so often appeared in the paintings of the 17th century. When you first look upon this you might think it is just a merry family gathering, but looking closer one can see what the title implies, a family indeed showing bad judgement in their behavior. The objects and actions rendered by Steen tell us through the use of historic symbolism, that excessive drinking, smoking and a show of ones’ wealth, are not ways to lead a virtuous life, and sets a poor example for children. The grandmother falls right in alignment with the theme, for she is singing, and the words on the page are “zoo voer gesongen, soo na gepepen” which is a Dutch proverb meaning “what the parents do, the children will follow.” This painting takes a while to absorb, the artist has quite accurately shown why he is called a master in his field. Every item is minutely correct down to the luscious folds in the satin skirt and the softness of the velvet jacket worn by the mother wears. It is thought that this is the image of Steen’s wife. You can even see the coals in the foot warmer under her feet, and the little dog, who’s face is wonderfully filled with expression. The detail and color in this work is remarkable.

Rembrandt Van Rijn – “Tronie” of a Man with a Feathered Beret
Oil on panel, ca. 1635-1640
Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis

Rembrandt van Rijn is represented in the exhibit by four works. The “Tronie” of a Man with a Feathered Beret, (oil on panel, ca. 1635–1640), shows a fine example of what a tronie is meant to be, a study that highlights facial expression and, if including a bust, most likely wears an exotic costume. Rembrandt made this type of work popular and in doing so, helped other artists of that period earn extra money by painting “tronies” when not working on a commissioned piece. This work is quite luxurious and shows that the artist was at times quite self-indulgent, for often he would use his own face for inspiration. The rich black of his cloak shows off the fabulous embroidered Gorget, which is a piece of armor originally worn in battle to protect ones neck, but here portrays wealth and distinction, as does the gold earring and fine feathered beret. Rembrandt also painted many self portraits and had them all over his studio. Many collectors bought exclusively portraits, while others liked having portraits of their favorite artists. There were so many because as he grew older he would have to keep them updated. There are more than 600 paintings, plus a multitude of sketches and drawings accredited to him. Along with his masterful brush technique, he expressed his feelings in his artwork and it shows. Rembrandt had a tragic life, the dark and depressing colors appeared in his paintings during the worst times. He was also known to be slightly sarcastic at times, in this painting the gentleman’s expression shows a bit of that feeling. Every stroke is placed with a precise eye for texture and detail.

Vermeer – “Girl with a Pearl Earring”
Click photo to view a quality gallery image.

The “Girl with a Pearl Earring” (oil on canvas ca. 1665) is the most famous painting by this masterful artist, Johannes Vermeer. It is most likely what will bring viewers in hordes to this exhibit and it does captivate. When first seeing her, it’s the eyes that draw you in. Approach closer and you think she is looking directly at you. Then your attention is caught by the few illuminated strokes highlighting her eyes and lips and those that depict the legendary pearl. Those highlights are enhanced by Vermeer’s mastered effect of casting shadows. She can’t help but make you wonder who she might have been, for there is definitely a mystique about her. Her attire, from a different time period, is reminiscent of Vermeer’s early works, which were often biblical. She exhibits Vermeer’s technical talent, excessive use of paint and his fondness for cornflower blue and yellow pigments. There are only 36 paintings that can be definitively identified as genuine Vermeers. Only a few of those can be called a “tronie,” which in seventeenth century Dutch meant “face.” A tronie was not meant to be of any person in particular and usually sold on the open market. In 1881 art collector, Des Tombe bought the Girl for two guilder and 32 cents which today is about $1.50. He suspected it to be Vermeer’s work but couldn’t see a signature until after it was restored. What a purchase!

If you ever find yourself questioning why the paintings of the Dutch Masters have enjoyed almost 400 years of popularity, all you have to do is visit this exhibit. It will run through September 29, 2013.
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all text and images with “Labeauratoire” logo by Karen Nurenberg Rothstein ©LABEAURATOIRE 2013

Leave a comment | tags: art, As the Old Sing, Atlanta, Carel Fabritius, Dutch Masters,exhibition, gallery, Georgia, Girl with a Pearl Earring, High, High Museum, Jacob van Ruisdael,Jan Steen, Johannes Vermeer, Mauritshuis, museum, paintings, Pieter Claesz, Rembrandt,Rembrandt van Rijn, So Twitter the Young, Steen, tronie, USA, Vermeer | posted in Gallery / Exhibition Review

THE MASTER OF LIGHT - JOHANNES VERMEER - Discovery/History/Art (documentary)

Vermeer: Master of Light (COMPLETE Documentary) [No Ads]

A fantastic 2001 documentary, with a huge chunk exploring Vermeer's compositional methods and techniques. Narrated by Meryl Streep

My rebuttal to Tim's Vermeer:

It's obvious that Vermeer played around with a camera obscura, but the more likely explanation is that he became so familiar with its optical distortion that he 'became' a camera obscura (he adopted its way of seeing as his aesthetic). The placement of his pointillist highlights on the bread in the Milkmaid (for example) is like a how a camera obscura would place highlights on a highly reflective object, but NEVER a loaf of bread. He placed them there because he was creating it in his imagination to look how shinier objects would look through a camera obscura, because he consciously enjoyed the effect of it and created it thus.

If Vermeer were dependent on a bulky optical device he would never have painted the View of Delft -- a massive outdoor landscape scene that was certainly created at home. It was generally impossible before the advent of tubed paint to work alla prima outside, and if the camera obscura were a trade secret he would have never have risked using it in public. Vermeer worked it up (along with the 'Little Street') from drawings and returned to the studio to make it.

Vermeer painted all of his interiors in the same room of his small house in Delft, yet the windows, the floor, the walls etc. always look different. Why? Because he was creating them in his head to look like a camera obscura, but not slavishly with a camera obscura.

Finally, X rays of Vermeer's paintings show that he reworked the placement of things over and over -- meaning he was building from imagination, not directly from an optical device...

http://www.openculture.com/2013/08/master-of-light-a-close-look-at-the-paintings-of-johannes-vermeer-narrated-by-meryl-streep.html

The Madness Of Vermeer - BBC Documentary

1/4 The madness of Vermeer - Secret Lives of the Artists

Art Documentaries

Published on Apr 25, 2014

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM4S2hGZDSE6iQg7WyttFs4IcQ-NbhHtk

First broadcast: 2003.
Johannes Vermeer is one of our favourite painters, with his Girl with a Pearl Earring now deemed the 'Mona Lisa of the North'. But little is known about his life and for almost two centuries he was lost to obscurity.

Andrew Graham-Dixon, travelling to Vermeer's hometown of Delft and a dramatic Dutch landscape of huge skies and windmills, embarks on a detective trail to uncover the life of a genius in hiding.

Renowned for painting calm and beautiful interiors, the real life of Vermeer was marred by crime and violence. His life was a bid to escape the privations of his family and yet even a glamorous marriage and artistic success failed to save him from the fate he dreaded more than any other . . . ....

Johannes Vermeer is one of our favourite painters, with his Girl with a Pearl Earring now deemed the 'Mona Lisa of the North'. But little is known about his life and for almost two centuries he was lost to obscurity.

Andrew Graham-Dixon, travelling to Vermeer's hometown of Delft and a dramatic Dutch landscape of huge skies and windmills, embarks on a detective trail to uncover the life of a genius in hiding.

Renowned for painting calm and beautiful interiors, the real life of Vermeer was marred by crime and violence. His life was a bid to escape the privations of his family and yet even a glamorous marriage and artistic success failed to save him from the fate he dreaded more than any other.
The Madness Of Vermeer - BBC Documentary

Girl with a Pearl Earring

Date of Creation:
1665
Height (cm):
44.50
Length (cm):
39.00
Subject:
Figure
Art Movement:
Baroque
Created by:
Johannes Vermeer
Current Location:
The Hague, Netherlands
Displayed at:
Mauritshuis Royal Picture Gallery
Owner: Mauritshuis Royal Picture Gallery

Girl with a Pearl Earring Page's Content Story / Theme Inspirations for the Work Analysis Related Paintings Locations Through Time - Notable Sales Artist Art Period

Bibliography

Girl with a Pearl Earring Story / Theme

Girl with a Pearl Earring

Johannes Vermeer
Girl with the Red Hat

Johannes Vermeer
Girl with a Pearl Earring

Johannes Vermeer
Girl with a Pearl Earring

Johannes Vermeer

Girl with a Pearl Earring was originally titled Girl with a Turban and it wasn't until the second half of the twentieth century that the name was changed. Regarded as Vermeer's masterpiece, this canvas is often referred to as the Mona Lisa of the North or the Dutch Mona Lisa.

The girl in this painting is believed to be Vermeer's eldest daughter, Maria, who was about twelve or thirteen-years-old at the time it was created. Her facial features appear in several of Vermeer's works but his various techniques on his subject make it difficult to compare the female faces in his paintings, as the woman are portrayed in different lighting conditions and poses.

There is very little information about Vermeer and his paintings. Girl with a Pearl Earring is signed "IVMeer" but there is no date on this work. It remains unknown whether or not this canvas was commissioned and if so, by whom. It's more likely that this image was a tronie, Dutch 17th-century description of a 'head' painting that was not intended as a portrait.

Girl with a Pearl Earring is one of over forty images of women created by Vermeer and thus it is obvious that he had a keen interest in women's socio-cultural roles. It could be argued that he valued their role in maintaining his idealist way of life by ensuring order within the household and raising children within Christian values. Therefore, women played a pivotal role in safeguarding tradition and moral values through the generations.

Vermeer depicted his women in thought-provoking stillness and also as encouraging images that inspired homogeny.

With this painting the viewer is captured by the subject and believes they have caught her attention and caused her to turn her head. This is a sensual painting with the girl gazing at the viewer with wide eyes and a parted mouth and there is an air of mystery surrounding her identity.

In 1994 this canvas was restored which involved removing the yellowed varnish along with the retouches that had been made during previous restorations. This resulted in the vivid colors originally used by Vermeer shining through and the intimacy of the girl's gaze was also greatly enhanced.

Clothing:
The turban being worn in Girl with a Pearl Earring was a popular prop at the time and its elaborate folds and rich materials were a great way of showing off the artists' skill.

The turban also demonstrates the influence of other countries as various slaves came to the Netherlands and explorers would bring back new exotic artifacts and inventions.

Girl with a Pearl Earring Inspirations for the Work

Rembrandt

Leiden

Rembrandt was the artist responsible for popularizing the tronie in around 1630 and so it's likely that Vermeer drewinspiration from his works. It's believed that Vermeer painted at least two tronies and an inventory of his possessions created shortly after his death listed 'Two tronies painted in the Turkish manner'. Therefore it's possible that Girl with a Pearl Earring is one of these paintings.

Girl with a Pearl Earring Analysis

Girl with a Pearl Earring

Johannes Vermeer
Girl with a Pearl Earring

Johannes Vermeer
Girl with a Pearl Earring

Johannes Vermeer

Use of color:
Vermeer's intense use of his signature ultramarine can be clearly seen in this work. It is not only used in the top of the turban but also in the neck and end of the fabric hanging down the sitter's back.

Vermeer uses his palette to the fullest and his skill in under painting creates an intense volume that has a three-dimensional effect. He uses a unique blend of creamier tones and pigments for the girl's skin so it has a sort of glowing effect in the light and contrasts with the background.

Red and brown ochres are used to define shadows on the girl's skin to create depth and definition as the light source comes from the left frontal area. This also helps to accentuate the facial features and make them as realistic as possible.

Vermeer uses the Dutch custom of a dark background which allowed the artists to create a three-dimensional effect of the highlighted subject. Dark backgrounds enabled the artist to be more flexible in their technique and gave them the freedom to play with various contrasts of lighting. Art historians have discovered that Vermeer used a green ochre tone as an undercoat in this painting which helped bring out the vibrant colors of the figure.

Use of light:
The use of the camera obscura in this work enhances the lighting in the room and helps define starker shadows in the foreground. Vermeer used a sort of white-based lead undercoat for the subject which produced an intense shine in the finished result.

The camera also dramatizes the reflective surfaces such as the pearl earring, the subject's eyes and lips in stark contrasts that intensify their gleam.

Brush work:
Vermeer uses many smooth brushstrokes in this work to create a clear-cut image defined by light and shadow. He also uses these fine strokes to characterize the clothing and skin texture. The strokes are linear and have strong definition.

The undercoating for the girl's dress helps create depth and a realistic interpretation of the actual material.

The final layer in the work is applied very thinly; this was possibly done to add movement as the light moves across the delicate material.

The turban is accentuated with Vermeer's trademark highlights. The pearl is also distinct in that it consists of just two brushstrokes.

Girl with a Pearl Earring Locations Through Time - Notable Sales

Mauritshuis Royal Picture Gallery

The Hague

Girl with a Pearl Earring was purchased by the art collector A. A. des Tombe at an auction in The Hague in 1881 for just two guilders and thirty cents. Although the painting was in bad condition and the signature was illegible it still attracted a great deal of interest. Upon his death in 1902 a will by A. A. des Tomes was discovered and in it he bequeathed twelve paintings to the Mauritshuis, including Girl with a Pearl Earring.

Girl with a Pearl Earring Artist

Woman Holding a Balance

Johannes Vermeer

Vermeer was a realist painter who focused on chiaroscuro and became a master of this technique. He delighted in the technicalities of the camera obscura and was an avid fan of using various lens and glass contraptions to discover new forms of capturing light in various contexts.

Although Vermeer held nothing original in his artistic interpretation and subject matter, he was extremely skilled in creating superb pieces of art. He didn't create many self portraits, focusing instead on objects taking the viewer to the image as he saw it. Vermeer does not create a specific narrative in his works like his contemporaries but rather concentrates on the moment itself and the rest of the story is created by the observer.

At the time Girl with a Pearl Earring was created, Dutch girls did not generally wear turbans. This leads art historians to believe that Vermeer intended to produce a tronie rather than a portrait. A tronie was a study of a head designed to represent a particular figure type and the girl in this painting represents an exotic, Oriental female. It's thought that Vermeer painted two tronies, as these were listed in an inventory after his death.

Girl with a Pearl Earring Art Period

Dutch Baroque has become the most noted era in art and it was the most lavish style in the history of Europe's figurative arts. Artists were able to freely choose their subject matter and how they wanted to express it and this resulted in artist excelling in creating new art styles and techniques.

Baroque art came into play at a time when the foundations of capitalism were being laid by the world's growing economies and art was expanding in new and exciting directions.

New national schools were opening across Europe but there was already a dominate style, spearheaded by great masters, such as Caravaggio, Poussin, Bernini and Rubens who provided inspiration for many emerging artists.

Vermeer was an idealist who strived to bring out the beauty in the most mundane aspects of daily life and his unique skill made him a leader and revolutionary of the Baroque era.

Girl with a Pearl Earring Bibliography

To read more about Vermeer and his work please refer to the recommended reading list below.

• Arasse, Daniel. Vermeer: Faith in Painting. Princeton University Press, 1996
• Binstock, Benjamin. Vermeer's Family Secrets: Genius, Discovery, and the Unknown Apprentice. Routledge, 2008
• Cant, Serena. Vermeer and His World: 1632-1675. Quercus, 2009
• Liedtke, W. Vermeer and the Delft School (Metropolitan Museum of Art). Yale University Press, 2001
• Snow, E. A Study of Vermeer. University of California Press, 1994
• Steadman, Philip. Vermeer's Camera: Uncovering the Truth Behind the Masterpieces. Oxford Paperbacks; New Ed edition, 2002