Johannes Vermeer's "Lady Seated at a Virginal"

Nationality: Dutch
Born-Died: 1632-1675
Creation Date: c. 1670-1672
Size: 20.2 × 17.9 inch (51.5 × 45.5 cm)
Media: Oil on canvas
Location: The National Gallery, London, UK

Today's post is the last of Vermeer's paintings.  There is one more disputed work, but it looks so different I wouldn't know why people think it is by Vermeer, so I decided not to include it.  There are also a number of relatively famous forgeries which are fascinating to analyze, but I'll save that for another time.  Whatever I post tomorrow I promise that it won't be Dutch! 

I hope that you enjoyed seeing all of Vermeer's works and found the little bit of commentary and information interesting. 

Johannes Vermeer's "Lady Standing at a Virginal"

Nationality: Dutch
Born-Died: 1632-1675
Creation Date: c. 1670-1672
Size: 20.3 × 17.8 inch (51.7 × 45.2 cm)
Media: Oil on canvas
Location: The National Gallery, London, UK
Seeing this painting in such detail is amazing.

Johannes Vermeer's "The Guitar Player"

Nationality: Dutch
Born-Died: 1632-1675
Creation Date: c. 1672
Size: 20.8 × 18.2 inch (53 × 46.3 cm)
Media: Oil on canvas
Location: Kenwood House, London, UK

This was another Vermeer painting that was at one time stolen.  The thieves held the painting "hostage" demanding that two convicted IRA bombers be moved from an English prison to an Irish one.  They even cut off a strip of the painting and sent it to the police with a letter criticising capitalism, threatening to burn the painting.  However, it was later discovered in a churchyard, unsinged and wrapped in a newspaper.  Apparently the thieves demands were not met either.  What idiotic, loser bastards.

Johannes Vermeer's "An Allegory of Faith"

Nationality: Dutch
Born-Died: 1632-1675
Creation Date: c. 1670-72
Size: 45 × 35 inch (114.3 × 88.9 cm)
Media: Oil on canvas
Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, New York, USA

I recently read some criticism of this painting that said Vermeer's departure from his usually intimate, introspective imagery in favor of this semi-bombastic depiction of religious passion falls flat.  I agree.  This ode to faith doesn't appeal to me in terms of content, but it also doesn't interest me in the way it's presented.  I'm not a fan of artistic "symbol adding" where a scene is loaded with pre-established symbols for different things, all of which add up to a grand statement.  Apparently, it is not known why Vermeer decided to paint such an image as he was not particularly passionate about religion throughout his life.

Johannes Vermeer's "Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid"

Nationality: Dutch
Born-Died: 1632-1675
Creation Date: c. 1670-71
Size: 28.4 × 23.4 inch (72.2× 59.5 cm)
Media: Oil on canvas
Location: The National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
I confess that I have never seen this painting before.

Johannes Vermeer's "The Love Letter"

Nationality: Dutch
Born-Died: 1632-1675
Creation Date: c. 1669
Size: 17 × 15.2 inch (44 × 38.5 cm)
Media: Oil on canvas
Location: The Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

I think the efficacy of this wonderfully benevolant view of life comes from the fact that it doesn't shy away from including some hint of the possibility of unhappiness.  The girl has a worried look on her face as if she is unsure whether the letter brings good or bad tidings.  However, the woman delivering it is smiling, indicating that it's good news and thereby giving the final word on the entire narrative.

Johannes Vermeer's "The Lacemaker"

Nationality: Dutch
Born-Died: 1632-1675
Creation Date: c. 1669-1670
Size: 9.6 × 8.3 inch (25.4 × 21 cm)
Media: Oil on canvas
Location: The Louvre, Paris, France

Johannes Vermeer's "The Geographer"

Nationality: Dutch
Born-Died: 1632-1675
Creation Date: c. 1668
Size: 20 × 17.9 inch (52 × 45.5 cm)
Media: Oil on canvas
Location: Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt, Germany


Another wonderful "Romantic" painting by Vermeer.  It has been suggested that the model might have been Anthonie van Leeuwenhoek (see below), the father of microbiology.  Vermeer and Leeuwenhoek certainly knew one another.  Not only is there a historical account of Vermeer having the chance to look through one of Leeuwenhoek's microscopes to see microbes within a drop of water, but Leeuwenhoek was hired to manage Vermeer's estates after he died.  

Do you see any similarities between these two paintings?

Johannes Vermeer's "The Astronomer"

Nationality: Dutch
Born-Died: 1632-1675
Creation Date: c. 1668
Size: 20 × 18 inch (51 × 45 cm)
Media: Oil on canvas
Location: Musée du Louvre, Paris, France

This is one of my favorite Vermeer paintings.  The character here reminds me of Howard Roark or Equality 7-2521.

Like "The Art of Painting" this painting was at one time owned by the Nazis.  I recently read that they stamped a swastika on the back and I am dying to know if it is still there.  I'm sure it would have been small, but that is still strange.

Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with a Red Hat"

Nationality: Dutch
Born-Died: 1632-1675
Creation Date: c. 1665-1666
Size: 9.1 × 7.1 inch (23.2 × 18.1 cm)
Media: Oil on panel
Location: The National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., USA

The second picture here is one that I took and I am posting it because it really drives home how small this painting is.  I always remember this painting when I see artists try to compensate for poor painting ability with massive canvases.

Johannes Vermeer's "Mistress and Maid"

Nationality: Dutch
Born-Died: 1632-1675
Creation Date: c. 1667
Size: 35.5 × 30.9 inch (90.2 × 78.4 cm)
Media: Oil on canvas
Location: The Frick Collection, New York City, New York, USA

I just love that yellow color.

Johannes Vermeer's "The Art of Painting" or "The Allegory of Painting"

Nationality: Dutch Born-Died: 1632-1675
Creation Date: c. 1666
Size: 51 × 43 inch (130 × 110 cm)
Media: Oil on canvas
Location: Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

This is one of the most famous Vermeer paintings and there exists a great deal of writing about it's history and meaning.  Incidentally, between 1942 and 1945 this painting was owned by...Adolph Hitler!

Johannes Vermeer's "Portrait of a Young Woman"

Nationality: Dutch Born-Died: 1632-1675
Creation Date: c. 1665-1667
Size: 17.5 × 16 inch (44.5 × 40 cm)
Media: Oil on canvas
Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, New York, USA

Johannes Vermeer's "The Concert"

Nationality: Dutch Born-Died: 1632-1675
Creation Date: c. 1664
Size: 28.5 × 25.5 inch (72.5 × 64.7 cm)
Media: Oil on canvas
Location: Unknown!

MISSING! 

Have you seen this painting? This painting was stolen in 1990 and it's whereabouts are currently unknown.

Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring"

Nationality: Dutch
Born-Died: 1632-1675
Creation Date: c. 1665
Size: 17.5 × 15 inch (44.5 × 39 cm)
Media: Oil on canvas
Location: Mauritshuis, The Hague, Netherlands
Three interesting facts about this painting:

1.) Vermeer certainly could not afford to own a pearl as large as the one depicted here.  He probably had the model wear a faux-pearl glass earring and employed some artistic license in regards to its size.

2.) In the Netherlands, around this time, painters occasionally included fashion from the middle-east such as Rembrandt's "The Artist in Oriental Costume..."  This is part of the reason why Vermeer's Dutch model is wearing a Turban.

3.) Conservationists have found hairs from Vermeer's brushes stuck in the paint of the woman's face.

Johannes Vermeer's "A Lady Writing a Letter"

Nationality: Dutch
Born-Died: 1632-1675
Creation Date: c. 1665-1670
Size: 18 × 15.7 inch (45 × 39.9 cm)
Media: Oil on canvas
Location: The National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., USA

Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with a Flute"

Nationality: Dutch
Born-Died: 1632-1675
Creation Date: c. 1665-1670
Size: 7.8 × 7 inch (20 × 17.8 cm)
Media: Oil on panel
Location: The National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., USA

When I was a graduate student I had many colleagues that made very large, but extremely poor quality paintings.  When I looked at their work I often thought of this tiny, magnificent painting.  This photograph certainly doesn't do it justice.

Johannes Vermeer's "A Woman Holding a Balance"

Nationality: Dutch
Born-Died: 1632-1675
Creation Date: c. 1662-1663
Size: 16.7 × 15 inch (42.5 × 38 cm)
Media: Oil on canvas
Location: The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., USA

This is easily one of my favorite Vermeers. When I think of painting quality I think of works like this.

Johannes Vermeer's "Woman with a Water Jug"

Nationality: Dutch
Born-Died: 1632-1675
Creation Date: c. 1660-1662
Size: 18 × 16 inch (45.7 × 40.6 cm)
Media: Oil on canvas
Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, New York, USA

Johannes Vermeer's "Woman with a Pearl Necklace"

Nationality: Dutch
Born-Died: 1632-1675
Creation Date: c. 1662-1665
Size: 21.6 × 17.7 inch (55 × 45 cm)
Media: Oil on canvas
Location: Gemäldegalerie, Berlin, Germany

I think the figure in this painting looks stiff.  Also, I am not entirely sure if her right arm is correct--it looks a little low on the body.  I love the way her coat is painted, however.  Nothing says happy like a yellow coat.