The Little Street, by Jan VermeerLittle was known about Vermeer's life. Not many are his paintings, only 36 paintins are attributed to him. Few places he traveled, in Delft he lived and worked all his life. For me, Vermeer himself is, like his paintings, very quiet in history.
Heors, mythology, complex symbols didn't seem to interest him. His concerns were at the corner of a street, a place which has not been identified, or does not even exist. Therefore, it might be a scenery in his mind. Though it looks like an ordinary scene, it is full of poetic quality.
Painting is usually for sight, not for hearing. However, Vermeer's works always have a great power on sound- the ultimate quietness. He did not freeze the moment, but created a muted scene. Things in his paintings are in progress, but in a silent way. He was dipicting an everyday scene, but made a space from the reality. He seems to invite us to slow down to enter his poetic world.
I wish one day I can look at the painting closely to see the colors and textures of his cobble stone street, the bricks, the shutters, and the white plaster on the wall, to get a sense of the essence of those things.
Hello Yew,
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking this artist one step further and educating us all to his work. As not much was written about him in the book, and the video spent its effort to figure out his style, it is refreshing to hear about his quiet spirit and how it speaks through silence.
Thanks for your insight!
Kimberlie