Have you ever wondered "what am I looking at?" when it came to the most famous paintings of our time. Well don't feel bad because I was in the same position a long time ago. Here are some little known facts and description of some of the most important piece. Who knows this may come in handy one day.
Girl with a Pear Earring is commonly called as the Dutch Mona Lisa because of its perfection. It was made by the famous artist called Johannes Vermeer. Created by Vermeer in 1665 during the Baroque period, the upper bust of the girl against a dark background has a three-dimensional effect that sets off her glowing appearance.
In Vermeer's era, paintings were considered to be craftsmanship instead of art. Vermeer, a Dutch master painter at his peak, dedicated his life to developing his craft. By 1665, when the Girl with a Pearl Earring was created, Vermeer had begun to depict women, demonstrating a deep interest in their socio-cultural roles. The subject in this painting is believed to be Vermeer's daughter, Maria.
Classification of the Painting, although many art critics contend that the Girl with a Pearl Earring is a portrait, the prevailing argument is that it is a tronie, which is a study of the facial expressions of a living model.
Vermeer Utilized the technique of under-painting, or a monochromatic ground, Vermeer made the Girl with a Pearl Earring seem to lift from the canvas. Through careful use of his palette, he created the deep, rich tones of the girl's headdress and gown. Then, to give her skin a glowing appearance, he used pigments to create light and shadow effects that contrasted against the dark background. The pearl earring, a status symbol of the period worn by the subject, is composed of only two brushstrokes. The two whites, one on each corner of her mouth, help to enliven the subject's pensive smile.
Vermeer's painting techniques have long been a source of debate, given their almost photorealistic attention to detail, despite Vermeer's having had no formal training, and despite only limited evidence that Vermeer had created any preparatory sketches or traces for his paintings. Now There is some speculation that Carel Fabritius may have been his teacher, based upon a controversial interpretation of a text written in 1668 by printer Arnold Bon. But Art historians have found no hard evidence to support this. Johannes Vermeer specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life. He was a moderately successful provincial genre painter in his lifetime but evidently was not wealthy, leaving his wife and children in debt at his death, perhaps because he produced relatively few paintings. Vermeer worked slowly and with great care, and frequently used very expensive pigments. He is particularly renowned for his masterly treatment and use of light in his work.
One aspect of his meticulous painting technique was Vermeer's choice of pigments.
For example, he frequently used a very expensive pigment called ultramarine. It was used in the painting “The Milkmaid”. Ultramarine is a deep blue color and a pigment which was originally made by grinding lapis lazuli into a powder. lapis lazuli is a deep blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. As early as the 7th millennium BC, lapis lazuli was mined in the Sar-i Sang mines, in Shortugai, and in other mines in Badakhshan province in northeast Afghanistan. Pure Lapis lazuli can cost up to $50 per gram as of today.
Another pricey pigment was called Lead-tin-yellow.
Lead-tin-yellow is a yellow pigment, of historical importance in oil painting, also known as the "Yellow of the Old Masters". The origin of lead-tin-yellow can be dated back to at least the thirteenth century when Type II was applied in frescos, perhaps having been discovered as a by-product of crystal glass production. Until the eighteenth century Type I was the standard yellow used in oil painting. It was then almost completely replaced in use by Naples yellow. After 1750, no paintings seem to have been made containing the pigment. In other word very, rare pigment= hefty price tag.
He also painted with, madder lake (Christ in the House of Martha and Mary), and vermilion, ochres, bone black and azurite. The claim that he utilized Indian yellow in Woman Holding a Balance has been disproven by later pigment analysis. In Vermeer’s oeuvre, only about 20 pigments have been detected. Of these 20 pigments, seven principal pigments which Vermeer commonly employed include lead white, yellow ochre, vermilion, madder lake, green earth, raw umber, and ivory or bone black
On the advice of Victor de Stuers, who for years tried to prevent Vermeer's rare works from being sold to parties abroad, a Dutch army officer, genealogist and art collector, by the name Arnoldus Andries des Tombe purchased the painting (Girl with a Pear Earring) for only two guilders and thirty cents.
I wish I had more to say about this piece, I hope you enjoy this short article.
thanks for reading!
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