Skip to main content

Baroque Blog

 




                                                                                    Art

                                                    

Johannes Vermeer painted  Girl with a Pearl Earring, He painted it in 1665-1667 using oil paints on canvas the painting is about 44.5x39 cm in his hometown of Delft. When looking at this painting the first thing that catches my eye is the dark background, with the person being the centerpiece. The color choice of yellows stands out to me it brings a sense of richness to whoever he is painting. The texture of the clothing and the turbin also makes this stand out as you can tell what it is, as well as the focus of the pearl earring. The pearl did not stand out to me when I first looked at this picture the first thing that I noticed was the the yellows of the clothing. I would own something like this but I would need to figure out where to put it.

Analysis 

Girl with a Pearl Earring was painted during the Dutch Golden Age, at that time artists painted for the rich or middle class, and having pearls and bright colors was a sign of that. After the painting was finished it was lost for over 200 years after being found being sold, Since 1902 it has rested at the Mauritshuis in The Hague. The rise of the merchant class best represents this painting, Johannes focused on painting everyday life during the Golden Age, and merchants profited from the trade and purchasing of these middle and upper-class paintings. Since the rise of the economy was going up this was a great selling point for most painters like Johannes Vermeer, who took this opportunity to make a profit off it during the rich times in the Golden Age.


                                               Comparison to the Renaissance
 Girl with a Pearl Earring was often referred to as the Dutch version of the Mona Lisa by   Leonardo da Vinci. The difference between them though is that the Mona Lisa is considered a portrait, while Girl with a Pear Earring is considered a tronie which is the Dutch version type of a person. They also relate to these two pieces because of their smiles and mysterious character. Looking at the Mona Lisa and Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Mona Lisa uses very dark tones almost mysterious, while Girl with a Pearl Earring uses bright rich tones, so the eras resemble different color pallets.











Bibliography 

Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris, "Johannes Vermeer, Girl with a Pearl Earring," in Smarthistory, August 9, 2015, accessed February 29, 2024, https://smarthistory.org/johannes-vermeer-girl-with-a-pearl-earring/.

“Johannes Vermeer Girl with a Pearl Earring.” Mauritshuis, www.mauritshuis.nl/en/our-collection/artworks/670-girl-with-a-pearl-earring/. Accessed 29 Feb. 2024. 

“Dutch Golden Age Painting Movement Overview.” The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/movement/dutch-golden-age/. Accessed 29 Feb. 2024. 

“Mona Lisa.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Feb. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa.

Trancart, François-Xavier. “The Legacy of Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring.” Artsper Magazine, 1 July 2022, blog.artsper.com/en/a-closer-look/the-legacy-of-vermeer-painting-girl-with-a-pearl-earring/#:~:text=Painted%20in%201665%2D66%20for,technique%20of%20colors%20and%20reflection.

Comments

  1. SallieFebruary 29, 2024 at 11:10 PM

    Hi Janae! I'm really glad that someone chose to do this art piece. I agree with you when you said "The pearl did not stand out to me when I looked at this picture." I also didn't notice the pearl earrings but the bright colors of the yellow and blue fabrics. With the background only colored in black, these two colors really stand out like sunlight is shining just right on her. I also like how detailed the clothes and turban are because we can see where the bumps and depths are.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kelsey BrownMarch 4, 2024 at 6:55 PM

    Hello , I actually noticed the pearl right away. I always find it interesting what others notice first.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Early Modern Blog

  The Early modern era was a significant historical period from the 15th century to the 18th century. The images below are going to show examples of how World War I was evaluated and perceived by Three different artists. Otto Dix painted  Soldiers' Grave Between the Lines in 1924, It is one of the many paintings in this series.  Dix was an artillery gunner in the trenches at the Somme and on the Eastern Front during World War I. The picture above focused on what was left of the battle and what happened. He described it as dead, dying, bombed-out landscapes and graves. Dix is also known for his harsh depictions of the way and the impacts of society. This gives a historical and personal background since he was part of World War I fitting it into the early modern era. This painting uses a lot of Space with the etchings and the texture of graves and cross, Shapes play a big part in this painting to outline what is being portrayed. When I looked at this painting I felt the dar...
2 comments
Read more

Impact of an Era

                                                                                           History War impacted many artists as they captured their feelings and emotions differently World War II had a big impact for many artists. Each displays differently. I will be showing the impacts of war by three different artists. The inspirations directly related and how paintings were created before the war which soon impacted World War II.The styles that came out during this time of expressionism, surrealism, and more. You can feel all the emotions in the works that were put out.                                      ...
1 comment
Read more

Non Western exibit

                                                                                                 History In Japan during a period between 1603-1868 was called the Edo Period also it has been known as the Tokugawa Period. The Edo Period was catigorized by economic growth,strict social order,Isolationist foregon policies, stable population and overall peace. Below are three different artists that show the differance in styles during this period.It was filled with richness and wealth you will be able to feel it with these paintings.                                           ...
1 comment
Read more