Johannes Vermeer, Girl with a Pearl Earring
The oil painting Girl with a Pearl Earring was created by Dutch Golden Age artist Johannes Vermeer. It has gone by several names throughout the ages, but at the close of the 20th century, it was given its current name in honor of the earring that the girl in the painting was wearing. Since 1902, the piece has been housed in the Mauritshuis collection in The Hague and has been the focus of numerous literary and filmic interpretations. This is one of the most famous paintings of all time.
The artwork is a tronie, the Dutch term for an unimpressive "head" from the 17th century. It shows a European female sporting an unusual outfit, an oriental headdress, and earrings that resemble a really huge pearl.The earring's material was questioned in 2014 by Dutch astronomer Vincent Icke, who asserted that the specular reflection, pear form, and size of the earring make it appear more like polished tin than pearl.
The delicate color scheme and the closeness of the girl's stare toward the observer have been substantially improved since the painting's most recent restoration in 1994. It was discovered during the restoration that the black background, which is currently somewhat mottled, was originally a deep enamel-like green. The now-visible black backdrop was covered with a thin, translucent paint glaze to create this appearance. In contrast, the indigo and weld organic pigments of the green glaze have lost their color.
The young woman in Johannes Vermeer's 1665 study is astonishingly genuine and strikingly contemporary, almost like a snapshot. This raises the question of whether Vermeer used a camera obscura, a type of pre-photographic equipment, to generate the image. Aside than that, no one is certain who the sitter was, however it has been suggested that she might have been Vermeer's maid. She appears to be trying to establish an intimate connection across the ages as he paints her glancing over her shoulder and locking her eyes with the viewer. Technically speaking, Girl isn't a portrait at all, but an illustration of the Dutch headshot style known as a tronie, which is more of a still life of the contours of the face than an attempt to capture a resemblance.
Artist: Johannes Vermeer
Created: 1665
