Observations on Vermeer

c. 1665-1666
oil on canvas
17 3/4 x 15 3/4 in. (45 x 39.9 cm.)
The National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
Gift of Harry Waldron Havemeyer and Horace Havemeyer, Jr.
in memory of their father, Horace Havemeyer




I was able to pay a visit to the National gallery last Sunday for couple of hours, not near enough time to see everything so I focused on the Dutch Masters. Perhaps one of the most famous is Johannes Vermeer. His work is shrouded in mysterious settings with figures and lighting.

I had my (I know this is going to sound hoaky) pictureperfectviewfinder, that has this transparent red film that easily allows you to distinguish values. So when looking at a picture you hold this device up , sqinting one eye, and look through the window. It minimizes detail and allows you to see shapes based on value, which in turn you can easily match up on a value scale.

In most pictures the area that is the lightest in value or shows the greatest contrast between light and dark is where your eye goes. A clever artist, familiar with this concept composes his picture utilizing this method and Vermeer is no exception. When you look at this picture you might think the point of interest or the lightest light is within the face, but after you hold up the pictureperfectviewfinder(what a mouthful) it becomes evident that the arm sleeve is where the lightest value is located. Also, the arm is closer to us than the face so this would make sense of why the light value is lighter. But whats even more unusual, is that the color of fabric on the arm sleeve is lemon yellow. In terms of paint, there is a concept of warm versus cool. Warm colors advance, cool colors recede is the general rule.




A cool yellow is typically a lemon yellow, and a warm is cadmuim yellow medium. Sunlight usually is warm and will cast a warme color. So, the current school of thought is to paint objects in sunlight warm colors. But Vermeer in this piece uses a cool yellow in the fabric of the sleeve(it's more apparent when you see the piece in person that from the digital image of reference in this post) and effectively creates the feeling of light.

So you have the cool light and face that is subdued in this piece, which breaks stride with the works of other Dutch Masters in the period. Maybe I'm off on my thoughts but it was my observation...