The Girl with a Peal Earring

        Many art historians consider the “Sphinx of Delft”, Johannes Vermeer, one of the great masters of painting, yet his work was only “discovered” very recently.  His work, while not very prolific is considered stunning and realistic.  Some of the paintings attributed to Vermeer have dubious credentials; art historians are not entirely sure if Vermeer is indeed the man responsible for the paintings.  Considerable debate exists over the true origin of the paintings and the number of paintings for which is is credited has fluctuated over the years.  Even one of his most famous paintings, The Girl with a Pearl Earring, is shrouded in mystery. 

           

        Art scholars have not been able to date the painting; dating it would provide a more factual background for the work.  The costume that the girl wears is not consistent with any Dutch style of clothing popular during any time in Vermeer’s life.  The exotic turban is not in keeping with the Dutch fashions that Vermeer is so famous for painting.  This leads to problems with dating the painting for clothing that subjects wear in paintings is often used to gauge the time period in which the works were completed.  Some scholars have contended that the model for the painting was Vermeer’s eldest daughter, Maria.  This would lead the the conclusion that the painting was completed in the 1970s, however this attempt at dating the painting has proven unsuccessful.

           

        Art scholars are also faced with the issue of the style in which the girl’s face is painted when attempting to date the painting.  The soft contour of her cheek was achieved through the application of a skin colored glaze over a “transparent undermodeling”.  Vermeer had not developed this technique until the 1660s.  This same technique of applying a glaze over a background to achieve a transparent look was used to create the turban.  The bold blue glaze was applied freely and scholars contend that this lends a sense of “immediacy” to the painting. 

           

        The free application of the glaze is somewhat surprising considering the care with which Vermeer designed and created his works.  The broad nature of his style of painting allowed him to paint in a way that suggests light and shadows falling on various objects.  The way in which Vermeer used light is central to his work and is one aspect of his paintings foe which he is best known in the contemporary art world.

           

        The composition of this painting also differs from the other paintings for which Vermeer is famous.  Many of his paintings depict a figure among a detailed, interior scene. Many of his paintings are set in the same room, which many scholars speculate is his house in Delft, Netherlands.  However, this painting is of a single person against a dark, plain background.  The position of the figure is much closer to the viewer than are many of the figures in Vermeer’s other works.  This is not in keeping with the majority of Vermeer’s works; this element of design has much in common with the work of Michael Sweerts, a painter who lived in Amsterdam in 1660-1661.  This had lead some scholars to speculate that the two artists may have met at one time or that Vermeer saw an exhibition of Sweert’s work, and this meeting influenced Vermeer’s work in Girl With a Peal Earring.

           

        While the debate will continue to rage over the authenticity of some of the works attributed to Vermeer, there is consensus among the art world that the paintings of Vermeer are some of the best examples of classicism and realistic portrayal of subjects.  The Girl with a Pearl Earring, while differing slightly form the norms that pervade Vermeer’s other works, is considered to be one of his greatest, most captivating works.

Broos, Ben, et al.  Johannes Vermeer.  New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995.  Print.