Girl with a Pearl Earring
| Girl with a Pearl Earring | |
|---|---|
_-_The_Girl_With_The_Pearl_Earring_(1665).jpg) | |
| Artist | Johannes Vermeer |
| Year | circa 1665 |
| Type | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 44.5 cm × 39 cm (17.5 in × 15 in) |
| Location | Mauritshuis[1], The Hague |
The painting Girl with a Pearl Earring (Dutch: Het Meisje met de Parel) is one of Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer's masterworks and, as the name implies, uses a pearl earring for a focal point. It is now in the collection of the Mauritshuis gallery in The Hague, but in 2013 has toured the United States with other works while the museum completes building work. It was at the High Museum in Atlanta until the end of September 2013, then in New York City at the Frick Collection from October 22, 2013 to January 19, 2014.[2]
Background
The painting is signed "IVMeer" but not dated. It is unclear whether this work was commissioned, and, if so, by whom. In any case, it is probably not meant as a conventional portrait.[3]
The image is a tronie, the Dutch 17th-century description of a ‘head’ that was not meant to be a portrait. After the most recent restoration of the painting in 1994, the subtle color scheme and the intimacy of the girl’s gaze toward the viewer have been greatly enhanced.[4] During the restoration, it was discovered that the dark background, today somewhat mottled, was initially intended by the painter to be a deep enamel-like green. This effect was produced by applying a thick transparent layer of paint, called a glaze, over the present-day black background. However, the two organic pigments of the green glaze, indigo and weld, have faded.
On the advice of Victor de Stuers, who for years tried to prevent Vermeer's rare works from being sold to parties abroad, Arnoldus Andries des Tombe purchased the work at an auction in The Hague in 1881, for only two guilders and thirty cents. At the time, it was in poor condition. Des Tombe had no heirs and donated this and other paintings to the Mauritshuis in 1902.[5]
In 1937, a very similar painting, Smiling Girl, at the time also thought to be by Vermeer, was donated by collector Andrew W. Mellon to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Now widely considered to be a fake, the painting was claimed by Vermeer expert Arthur Wheelock in a 1995 study to be by 20th-century artist and forger Theo van Wijngaarden, a friend of Han van Meegeren.[5] LLLLlllloooollllLLLL
References in fiction
Tracy Chevalier wrote a historical novel, also entitled Girl with a Pearl Earring (1999), fictionalizing the circumstances of the painting's creation. In the novel, Johannes Vermeer becomes close with a fictional servant named Griet (based on Chevalier's close friend Georgia Kendall), whom he hires as an assistant and has sit for him as a painting model while wearing his wife's pearl earrings.[6] The novel inspired a 2003 film[7] and 2008 play[8] of the same name. The 2003 film stars Scarlett Johansson as the girl with the pearl earring, Griet. Johansson was nominated for various awards including a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
See also
References
- ^ Currently on loan to exhibitions in the US and Japan while the Mauritshuis is undergoing renovations. Renovations are scheduled to be completed in mid-2014.
- ^ Frick page on the exhibition
- ^ "Johannes Vermeer - Girl with a pearl earring". Mauritshuis.
- ^ Wadum, Jørgen (1994), Vermeer illuminated. Conservation, Restoration and Research., The Hague
{{citation}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Vrij Nederland (magazine) (February 26, 1996), p. 35–69.
- ^ Griet is asked to wear both earrings in the novel even though only one will be visible. Winant, Johanna (2000-01-26), "Novel paints a picture of a famous painting", Chicago Tribune, pp. Tempo, pg. 3
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ Ebert, Roger (2003-12-26), "'Girl' painted in subtle shades", Chicago Sun-Times, p. 43
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ Billington, Michael (2008-10-01), "Pearl's delicate shades get lost in the broad canvas of the stage", The Guardian, p. 36
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
Further reading
- Liedtke, Walter A. (2001). Vermeer and the Delft School. Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 9780870999734.
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External links
- In-depth view of the Girl with a Pearl Earring
- An investigation into the illumination of Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring
