Johannes Vermeer painted Girl with a Pearl Earring in 1665 in the city of Delft in the Netherlands. Vermeer painted only 35 paintings before his death, Girl with a Pearl Earring being arguably his most famous.
I chose this piece to write about because upon learning the origin of the term Baroque (which was derived from the Portuguese word Barocco, meaning irregularly shaped pearl), I immediately thought of this painting. The pearl in this painting would not have been based on a real pearl, but rather an artificial one, due to its large size and teardrop shape.
To the uneducated or misinformed viewer, this painting may originally be mistaken for a portrait. It is, however, a tronie. You can distinguish that this is a tronie because of the unknown identity of the subject. In addition, the girl in the painting is wearing costume-like attire, such as her turban.
Johannes Vermeer had been Protestant until he married his Catholic wife, Catharina Bolnes, and converted to Catholicism thereafter. Vermeer was also an artist who helped the merchant class increase in art ownership. A high number of his paintings are believed to have been collected by a patron of the city of Delft, where he was from and lived for the majority of his life.
Girl with a Pearl Earring, as well as Vermeer's other paintings, shows a contrast to the previous Renaissance paintings in their contrasting values, the illusions of light, and the sense of a fleeting moment. Rather than a staged position, Vermeer seems to have captured a quick glance from the subject. Compared to the characteristics of the Renaissance, Vermeer's paintings seem much more intimate and invoke much more emotion.
As for the visual aspects of this work, Vermeer's use of light and dark values to contrast each other creates an effect of light that is essential in creating the intimate feeling that this painting emanates. Vermeer's use of these contrasting values truly shows his skill and his realistic imagery in his paintings. This is evident in the texture of the fabric, as well as how realistic the earring looks, despite being only two white brushstrokes. The dark background also contrasts against the subject's light wardrobe and skin tone, showing aspects of tenebrism.
I have always liked this painting. Learning about the background of the period and the religious and political conflicts that were relevant has only increased my appreciation for this piece. I would love to own a copy of this painting; I ordered a pair of earrings inspired by this painting just a few weeks ago. I also ordered the book that was inspired by this painting, Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier last night after doing some research on this painting.
Works Cited
“Girl with a Pearl Earring.” Mauritshuis, https://www.mauritshuis.nl/en/our-collection/artworks/670-girl-with-a-pearl-earring/.
Manioudaki, Anastasia. “What Is a Tronie? Famous Examples in Art: DailyArt Magazine.” DailyArtMagazine.com - Art History Stories, 25 May 2020, https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/tronie/.
Richman-Abdou, Kelly. “Girl with a Pearl Earring: Unraveling the Mysterious Masterpiece of the Dutch Golden Age.” My Modern Met, 30 June 2021, https://mymodernmet.com/vermeer-the-girl-with-the-pearl-earring/.
Wheelock, Arthur K. “Johannes Vermeer.” Artist Info, 24 Apr. 2014, https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.1951.html.
Zelazko, Alicja. “Girl with a Pearl Earring.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/topic/Girl-with-a-Pearl-Earring-by-Vermeer.
Hi Emily,
ReplyDeleteI also learned about the Portuguese word Barocco which of course means irregularly shaped pearl. I was surprised to learn this was an insult when it first appeared. It amazes me that it is no longer an insult but instead an era of art. I am one of the uneducated and misinformed people, to my surprise, I have actually seen this painting before but I had no idea it was anything other than a portrait with heavy contrast against the dark background. I love the uncommon colors it shows with the almost mustard-colored robe and sky blue head covering. The pale skin with the bright red lips and facial expression are so beautiful. It looks like a moment that was caught, if it was a photo It would be an amazing candid. I couldn’t agree more with you where you state “Vermeer seems to have captured a quick glance from the subject. Compared to the characteristics of the Renaissance, Vermeer's paintings seem much more intimate and invoke much more emotion” It really seems to have such emotion and be a moment in time that was captured. I also like that you note the texture of the painting and the clothes in it. Like the back shoulder where the wrinkles are. What excellent work and an excellent post!
You are correct, when I first saw this painting, I thought it would be considered a portrait. Your explanation as to why it is not helped me understand I was wrong. I agree that the illusions of light in this painting are very well done and lead to the feeling of a fleeting moment and it does feel emotional. The earing does appear to look real with the contrasts he used. And you can really see the textures in the materials she is wearing. I like that she seems to stand out of the painting because of the dark background. Its like she pops out of the painting. I don’t think that there is anything unappealing about this painting. It is a good one, although I do not think I would want one for my home.
ReplyDeleteHi Emily,
ReplyDeleteThank you for describing the difference between a portrait and a tronie, I did not know the difference. I also loved how you mentioned the contrast of colors, and how it has a darker background. In my comparison of Baroque art and Renaissance I noted that Baroque has a darker tone that I feel makes the artwork more emotional and dramatic.
Hi Emily,
ReplyDeleteWhat I really enjoy about this painting is how simple it is in comparison to what I feel Is typical of art from this era in that there is usually a lot going on. In terms of art I like the less is more approach. I like how the solid background really allows you to focus on the woman in the picture. Vermeer's use of light and shadows also helped to bring out the sparkle of the pearl.