Today I finished my next mini cross stitch masterpiece, Girl with a Pearl Earring, painted by Johannes Vermeer in 1665.
Vermeer was an incredibly skilled Dutch painter who spent hours on his paintings of which there are only 36 known works accredited to him.
I first came across Vermeer whilst studying art history at Hull university and I was instantly drawn to his paintings. I loved the calm serenity of his work and with each painting describing a narrative that leaves us guessing. His paintings invite us to ask questions about his subject’s lives, he teases us and we want to know more.
Who is this girl?
Why is she dressed in a turban?
What is she thinking?
Why is she looking over her shoulder?
What is she trying to tell us?
I love Vermeer’s painting style. It’s soft and slightly muted and fuzzy. His use of light is such a huge factor in his work and is what he is most famous for. He often positions a window in his paintings with gentle light beams directed into the room but there is no window in this painting. He obviously wanted the viewer to focus on nothing but the girls face and the way the light falls on it and describes the contours of her face. She dominates the canvas. He was showing off his skills, experimenting with the effects of light and saying ‘look, this is what I see.’
I have included a close up image of the actual earring and look how confident he is. Two brush strokes, one on the left side and one at the base, but they are enough to describe the whole teardrop shape, texture and form of the pearl. So clever and skilful, Vermeer knew exactly what he was doing.
Vermeer’s paintings slow my breathing. They relax me, draw me in and take me on a journey to 17 century Delft where I can hear the sounds of everyday people going about their business. I have seen several Vermeer paintings over the years, they are so special, remarkably small yet oh so engaging. I hope that one day I will get to see this one. That would be a special day indeed. ??
