Girl with a Pearl Earring - Johannes Vermeer

Girl with a Pearl Earring, also known as "the Mona Lisa of the North" or "the Dutch Mona Lisa", was painted by Johannes Vermeer in 1665. It is an oil on canvas and is 44.5 x 39 cm. Very little is known about the picture or the painter, adding to its mysteriousness. The painting has inspired both a novel and a movie which attempt to create a story for the background of the painting. It is technically a tronie, or a painting that shows an exaggerated facial expression or a stock character in costume, rather than a portrait. Furthermore, tronies are not usually commissioned and are sold on the market without identifying the sitter. The portrait was lost for nearly 200 years until it was bought in 1881 for only two guilders and thirty cents.

In a 1994 restoration, the dark black background was found to have been a deep, enamel like, glossy green which had faded over the years. A turban would not have been found in this time period or place, and the type of turban in the painting does not actually exist. It is a simplified version of the Turkish turban. The blue of the turban was created with only two brilliant shades of blue. The woman is wearing a yellow brown cloak made of a coarse, rigid fabric, and has a white undergarment on as well. The cloak would not have been a typical object of clothing in this time either, and these foreign objects were placed in the painting to show off the painters technical prowess and versatility.

Now on to the face of the girl. The color of the right side of her nose matches the color of her right cheek perfectly, leading to no definite border of the nose. This detail along with the two shades of blue in the turban lead many art critics today to believe that a camera obscura was used in capturing this painting, as this would have faded distinct lines and limited the range of colors due to the imperfect lens. Prior to the 1994 restoration, there was a yellowish protective varnish placed on the painting. Due to this, the painting was aesthetically unattractive, especially the yellowing of the eyes, and had to be removed with a cotton swabs soaked in a solvent. During the restoration, many minute details were brought out and restored. Specifically two pink dots on the left corner of the girls mouth. This revealed the brilliant subtlety of color and realism.

Before this, I always thought the pearl was just the bright glint of white light below her ear. However, the pearl earring is in fact the exaggerated, oblong, unnaturally large, teardrop shaped pearl below her ear. The bright white is just a reflection of a small portion of the pearl. It is likely that no such pearl actually existed, but was exaggerated by Vermeer to emphasize this lady's class status.




Sources
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jan/25/girl-pearl-earring-story-painting
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tronie
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girl_with_a_Pearl_Earring
http://www.essentialvermeer.com/catalogue/girl_with_a_pearl_earring.html

Vertumnus (Portrait of Rudolf II) - Giuseppe Acrimboldo

Vertumnus: Portrait of Rudolf II. This portrait was painted in 1590 by Giuseppe Arcimboldo, an Italian painter (1527-1593). I have found sources that said it was painted with oil on panel and oil on wood. The painting itself is 70.5 x 57.5 cm. The work was commissioned by the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II. Arcimboldo was granted the title of Count of Palantine after he completed the portrait because Rudolf II was so pleased with it.

In the painting, the model takes the form of Vertumnus, the Roman god of seasons, change, plant growth, gardens, and fruit trees. He is composed entirely of fruits, vegetables, and flowers in the portrait. Archimboldo created a number of paintings with the same form: a larger figure composed of a conglomeration of related objects. For example, he painted another portrait titled The Librarian in which the subject is composed of books. Some speculate whether or not this form of painting by Arcimboldo suggests he had a mental illness, however most art critics believe this bizarre, unique creativity is fitting for the time period.

Archimboldo was popular in his lifetime, however after he died people lost interest in his work for over 300 years. In the early twentieth century when the Surrealist movement was gaining ground, Archimboldo again came into sight. His work has influenced artists such a Salvador Dali.

Sources
http://rhetoricaldevice.com/images/arcimboldo/vertumnus.jpg
http://arthistory.about.com/od/from_exhibitions/ig/arcimboldo_paris/gaml1007_12.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertumnus
http://www.lifeasmyth.com/journalWatershedArcimboldo.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Arcimboldo
http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/giuseppe-arcimboldo/vertumnus-emperor-rudolph-ii

I am a math and science oriented person and I wanted to become more cultured by learning about and learning to appreciate art. Magnastra is a website created to share pieces of art: paintings, architecture, music, photographs, literature, sculptures, films, etc. I plan to learn about a new piece of art each day and write a summary of what I learned on this website. There are several reasons for doing this. Firstly, doing this will provide a review of what I've learned that day. Secondly, this will allow me to refresh my memory on past pieces I've learned about. And lastly, it will give both me and you an opportunity to share the learning experience.