Vermeer & the Art of Painting

Book excerpt: This book examines the creative process and technical means by which the great Dutch seventeenth-century painter achieved his remarkable pictorial effects. Arthur Wheelock begins by placing Vermeer's art in historical perspective, with emphasis on the artistic environment in his home city of Delft and the importance of history painting in the mid-1600s. He then closely examines seventeen of the thirty-six extant paintings in Vermeer's oeuvre, works that span the range of the artist's career. Using the results of x-rays, pigment analysis, and infrared reflectography, some of the secrets of Vermeer's wonderfully elusive artistry are revealed. For example, Vermeer was able to simulate reality, simplify and highlight meaning, establish a sense of time and permanence, and enhance the mood he wished to create through inventive use of brushwork, color, and compositional refinements. Lavishly illustrated with color reproductions of Vermeer's paintings, the book is certain to appeal to all devotees of Dutch art.