Vermeer – the painter of symbols

In this argumentative essay I want to demonstrate the importance of

Vermeer.
Johannes Vermeer of Delft, also known as Jan Vermeer or Johannes van der
Meer, is now considered to be one of great Dutch masterpainters. However, his
work was forgotten after his death in 1675. It was not rediscovered until the late
19th century.
Johannes Vermeer of Delft was one of the most talented painters in the
Dutch Golden Age. He created a number of paintings in the 17th century. His Work
and life had been forgotten for centuries, but now Wermmer is considered to be
one of the greates painters.
I choose Vermeer for many reason:
- the fact that his importance was forgotten for century
- the motifs and the theme that he approched
- the fact that Vermeer used many symbols, attributes, personifications
and allegories in his paintings
- his paintings are full of musical instruments and people making
music.
- Vermeer painted mostly domestic interiors.

Little is known about his life and only a small number of his paintings have
been preserved. The only sources of information are some registers, a few official
documents and coments by other artist.
I considere Wermeer a good painting because he created luscious canvases
of limited scope: generally women and men in seventeenth-century rooms, but also
occasional outdoor scenes, allegory and religious themes. The fascination lies with
the intricate combination of light, color, proportion and scale that anhance the
moods and reality of the subjects.
Another reason to love Vermeer are his themes: portraits, city views,
evryday scenes painted by him.
Whenever we look at a painting we may ask ourselves several questions.
One of the firts questions would probably be: “Who made it?” For most paintings
this will be very clear. Maybe there is a signature on the painting, or you simply
look at the information sign near the painting in the museum. Then you will
automatically see the title on the painting. But the question “what is the meaning of
this picture?” may not be so easy to answer.

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 Several artists have some hidden meaning in their work that can only be
discovered with the proper information. I will try to shed some light on the deeper
meaning of the paintings of Vermeer.
Vermeer used many symbols, attributes, personifications and allegories to
give his paintings some special meaning. This part of the Vermeer site tries to
teach us a way of looking at his picture wich can give us a hint of the deeper
meaning of his painting. Unfortunately many of the deeper meanings of the
paintings can only be speculed on. Seventeenth century knowledge has been lost,
and many art historians try to reconstruct the proper meanings of the paintings.
Some part are very clear, other parts can only be guessed.
I want to say that the iconography can help us to understing the paintings.
Iconography is the study of subjects in art, and their deeper meaning. The first
stage is the description of the painting, then follows the iconographical description
of the painting and the last stage is the iconographical interpretation.
Then, I choose Wermeer because his paintings are full of musical
instruments and people making music. In many paintings, music is present in one
way or another.
Vermeer painted mostly domestic interiors, often of a woman alone doing
something: pouring milk, weighing jewels, reading a letter, playing a lute. It is not
known who any of the models were. They were probably all painted in the same
room, Vermeer's studio on the first floor in his mother-in-law's house. The room
had three windows and light from the northwest -- preferred by painters because it
was more diffuse and even. In most of the paintings the women sit or stand in the
same corner, with the light source from the left, so that the shadow of Vermeer's
hand did not fall onto the canvas as he was painting.
Vermeer may have used a camera obscure as he painted. A camera obscura
brings some parts of a composition into focus while blurring others, as well as
intensifying colours. Antony van Leeuwenhoek, who invented the microscope and
other optical instruments, was the executor of Vermeer's will, and may well have
introduced him to the
In conclusion, I want to say that I love Vermeer for his paintings.

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