Vermeer :: essays research papers

Seventeenth-Century Art Writing AssignmentJan Vermeers c arer revolve over a century of slap-up change- in art, technology, and social customs. In art, subject matter ceased to be the most important component of great keyings. This allowed artists to discover how to appreciate and portray the sheer beauty of the world. One of the great of these masters was Jan Vermeer, born a generation after Rembrandt. Vermeer did not paint many pictures in his life, and few of them represent important medical prognosiss. Specializing in literary genre mental pictures (subjects of everyday life), he mainly mixed ordinary figures engaged in ordinary tasks, such as a lady reading a letter or a young lady playing a lute. Yet what made these paintings such masterpieces was the way Vermeer achieved meticulous precision in the presentation of textures, light, and colors without the paintings ever looking unnatural or harsh. In his life, Vermeer painted in two distinct paths the first demeanor (f rom 1653-1664) was characterized by brilliant use of color and an aggressive painting technique, whereas the second style was smoother and more refined with pale and softer colors. In other words, his style moved from one more characterized by a more manful vigor to one of refined delicate subtlety. What remained throughout both styles was his bonny combination of color and precision that harmonized figures and space. Johannes Vermeer was born in Delft, Holland in 1632. As a youth he was apprenticed to Carl Fabritus and in 1653 he entered the Guild of Saint Luke of Delft wherein he became director. Although art was his main focus, he was alike an innkeeper and kept a tavern in the Market Square. This theater was a very rowdy place to live and work, and Vermeer apparently enjoyed painting as an escape from the crowded market and noisy tavern. Many historians are still uncertain as to where all his paintings went, but some take he was hired by Van Ruijven, a rich panoptic protes tant, who was the master of the Delft Charity Commissioners. Due to slow production, he suffered from financial difficulties in spite of his success in selling his works, and in 1675 at the age of 43 he died leaving his wife and eight children in abject poverty. The Procuress was painted in 1656 and is a good example of Vermeers first style. This scene is painted with remarkable strength of color and light around the pass and the woman who obviously hold center stage.