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.