The Sphinx of Delft - Part Two

As I mentioned in last week's blog, very little is known about Vermeer (1632-1675). It's as if he arrived a fully-developed master painter into the Delft Guild of Saint Luke. To this day, the identity of his master(s), the nature of his training, and the period of his apprenticeship remain a mystery.

Naturally, this leaves room for speculation. The one thing certain is that styles of art, composition and subjects are a cultural matter and culture evolves slowly.

Artists generally start by copying popular styles and slowly developing their own individual expression. Based on that notion, it is possible to speculate that Vermeer was influenced by several contemporary painters.

Carel Fabritius (1622-1654), who apprenticed with Rembrandt, could have been an influence. His portraits were very similar to Rembrandt and he used perspective in innovative ways which seems to have influenced Vermeer.(left: Fabritius; right: Vermeer)



Another influence often speculated was Gerard Ter Borch (1617-1681), who painted "genre" or scenes of daily life. (Left: Ter Borch; right: Vermeer)



Then there was Pieter de Hooch, who lived in the same town as Vermeer and shared Vermeer's style and subject matter. His paintings, like Vermeer’s, are usually small and display the same great power of composition.



So, there you have it, dear reader. When you compare their styles and subjects, do you agree that Fabritius, ter Broch or de Hooch could have influenced Vermeer?

The Sphinx of Delft

The artist, Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675), left no evidence of his biography except for a few legal documents. No confirmed images. No information about his art training. No evidence of having served an apprenticeship. Yet, he is in full bloom as a master painter in 1653 when he joined the Guild of Saint Luke - meaning he had completed an apprenticeship with someone, somewhere.

In fact, on three occasions, he served as head of the guild. So, why is there so little mention of him in the notes of other artists in the guild?

Vermeer needed money to support his wife and 11 surviving children, but it appears that he only produced 3 paintings a year and never took on apprentices. How did he manage?

All the questions led Théophile Thoré-Bürger, the 19th century art critic, to refer to Vermeer as the "Sphinx of Delft."

All the gaps in his background and his artworks have provided authors with a wonderful opportunity to make stuff up. There are many books of fiction about his subjects, his works and his life. If we can't know who was his master, at least we can know something about who influenced him - and that will be the subject of next week's blog.

Tubes, Easels, and Railroads

Did you see "The Girl with the Pearl Earring?" If so, perhaps you remember that she began assisting the Dutch artist, Vermeer (1632-1675), in grinding the pigments and adding the oil to make his paints.

In those days, oil painters could only sketch outdoors. The materials they needed to schlepp were too cumbersome to actually paint the scene away from their studios. Reference sketches left the artist relying on rough outlines and memory. This led to final paintings that were fanciful especially in the backgrounds and figures.

Three inventions released oil painters to paint directly from nature. They were: industrially-mixed paint in tubes, light-weight, portable easels and the speed of railroad travel.

Starting in the late 19th century,artists could gather up their supplies, board a railroad and arrive at a place in the country to paint directly on canvas - even to paint a final version.

Painting directly outdoors became known as "en plein" air or "in the open air." It was a wonderful opportunity for artists and generated some of the finest Impressionist paintings we treasure. (Monet, above; Pissarro, below left, Morisot, below right)

Today, there are plein air painting groups and workshops everywhere. So when someone tells you it is a plein air painting, you'll be able to shake your head and say, "I thought so."