The girl with a pearl earring is one of the most recognized and popular paintings from Vermeer but why it is so famous? There are different interpretations and opinions about it. The model's smile and eye contact remind you of a person who is holding a secret and enjoying the fact that you don't know what the real reason is. In this series I wanted to explore the moments before and after of that famous capture.
History and classic art paintings are so fascinating! There is so much one can learn about the socio-cultural climate of the according era, not to mention the mystery and sophistication they are usually surrounded with. Another advantage is that the study of light and shadow can be applied to photography too. Blending painting techniques and style into the medium of photography creates such a timeless feel to the images and elevates them from just recording the moment to a more artistic almost refined version of it.
History & Context
The girl with a pearl earring is one of the most recognized and popular paintings from Vermeer (The Mona Lisa of the North) - but why is it so famous? There are different interpretations and opinions about it- whether she is turning away or towards the viewer, why would Vermeer paint an anonymous subject. There is no doubt that understanding and appreciating art, is an art in itself, so what do art critiques say? The painting belongs to an overly idealized style of paintings - a tronie, where the final image is a collaborative depiction of many. Compared to the rest of Vermeer's work, where subjects seem to be engaged in their own everyday routine and distanced from the viewer, in this painting, the girl is directly looking at the viewer and creating a more intimate connection. The turban on her head has an exotic touch and the pearl earring is debated not to be a real pearl but a tin earring painted to look like a pearl. In 17th century Netherlands, the usual patrons of art who were nobility and religious figures were substituted with those of merchants and they preferred paintings to depict the middle class and more familiar objects and surroundings. At the time when paintings usually depicted nobility and clergy, this portrait of an anonymous girl with a touch of exoticism, symbols of wealth and enigma around her gaze and persona, are the elements that made it significant.
To find out more about the painting itself and the process of creating this series, read here in the blog.
To find out more about the painting itself and the process about creating this series, read here in the blog.
