Johannes Vermeer by Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., Ben Broos Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Johannes Vermeer
Book Review: An essential book for art lovers!
Summary: 5 Stars
I was fortunate enough to have seen the now-legendary Vermeer exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. during the winter of 1995-96. 21 out of the 35 (or 36) extant paintings by Vermeer were included in the show, offering a unique opportunity to see the bulk of Vermeer's amazing works in a single space, something that no one has experienced since 1696, when @20 of his paintings were auctioned in Delft. Given the rarity and fragility of Vermeer's works, it is unlikely that such an event will ever be repeated. All who were unable to make it to the show, however, have this splendid book as a document of this unique event. This book will remain the standard work on Vermeer for many decades, and represents the fruit of several years' labor by art historians on two continents. Because so little is in fact known about Vermeer the man (in truth, we have no idea at all what Vermeer's education, interests, and personality were like), the catalogue essays fill this gap by contextualizing Vermeer's work within the history of Dutch painting, the development of perspective, and the fascinating tale of Vermeer's "rediscovery" in the 19th century and his richly-deserved rise to worldwide fame. The essays and catalogue entries may be too technical for some readers, as the authors have expended a lot of effort to reconstruct Vermeer's exact technique, something which can only be gleaned from careful study of the paintings themselves (no drawings by Vermeer have survived, nor have any statements he may have made about painting). This extensive scholarly apparatus, while illuminating and occasionally even riveting (the essay dealing with Vermeer's rediscovery is a great detective narrative!), tends to obscure the strange, even uncanny emotional charge that his images are suffused with. Vermeer's personal world - so limited in content yet unforgettably haunting and evocative - is one of stillness and peace suffused with tension. Each image contains remarkable spatial and temporal ambiguities that make simple scenes like a lady writing a letter while her maid looks away or two people standing near a piano (The Music Lesson) vibrate with dramatic tension. Sadly, the somewhat passionless writing encases the pictures (all of which are superbly reproduced) in a rhetoric that does not address the fundamental issue: What is it about these paintings that is so powerful that their maker was rescued from total obscurity and has inspired poetry, novels and countless studies? I was hoping to find some discussion of the psychological meaning of these images, but the traditional (overly scholarly and dry) art history within did nothing to help me understand my passion for the "Sphinx of Delft." That said, the book is a masterpiece of empirical research on the artist (barring some new discovery, it is unlikely that we will ever have any more facts about Vermeer and his world than can be read here), exquisitely designed, and distinguished with beautiful reproductions. The volume is certainly one of the few bestsellers in the field of the art book - when I attended the show, the paperback print of the book was totally sold out and the hardcover was flying off the shelves (it is odd that the book has not been reprinted in paperback). Johannes Vermeer is THE text to have on this artist and is unlikely to be superseded anytime soon. Immerse yourself in Vermeer's world and you will be transformed. Seeing this exhibition changed my life, and I treasure this book as a means of recapturing the awe and joy that overwhelmed me at the time. I hope you will enjoy this book as much as I have.Book Review: Better than the average but still not the definite book on Vermeer
Summary: 3 Stars
It is a nice book but the quality of the reproductions is poor.Book Review: Mediocre reproductions
Summary: 3 Stars
I was wrong to say that the tall Harry Abrams Vermeer book, "The Complete Works", was inadequate. It is far better than the reproductions contained here or in the Blankert book. Abrams' prints are clear, intense and, above all, not washed out. Most of the prints here and in the Blankert book are washed out or blurry. True, "A Lady Reading" is too dark in Ambrams, so we can't see the drapery or the picture on the wall, and "Servant Handing a Letter to Her Mistress"(one of the greatest) has colors that have run, but on the whole the quality of Abrams is far better. And, the book is less expensive. You lose the long-winded, predictable commentaries, but you'll never miss them.
Book Review: Perfection on a canvas and in a book to take home
Summary: 5 Stars
The year was 1995. The place was the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. The occasion was the exhibit of 21 of the known three dozen paintings by Johannes Vermeer, Dutch master of the seventeenth century.
I missed the exhibit, too, but I have this 12 x 9 1/2 inch hard cover copy of that exhibit, plus all those essays about historical context, art techniques, probable interpretations of the paintings, and, oh yes, the paintings themselves. In one book. By my favorite artist. No, it's not the same, but I do have all these glorious paintings.
What makes Vermeer such a beloved painter? Please look at "The Geographer," which is on the cover of the book. See the light bathe the subject? See the subject's intensity? Those are the two major traits that set Vermeer apart. He used the natural light as it fell into his studio and he began that moment of intensity just at a moment of stillness--a sort of psychological study.
One such painting now made famous by both a novel, Girl with a Pearl Earring, Deluxe Edition and the movie, Girl With a Pearl Earring is "The Girl with the Pearl Earring." You might think it made a good biographical movie, but then you would be wrong. Why? Because we know almost nothing of Johnannes Vermeer. We don't know about his life except as it pertains to the time period in Delft, Holland, in the mid 1600's and beyond. All we know is what is recorded in contracts like marriage license. We don't know what he thought of art or how he started because he did not leave a word. So the book and the movie are examples of literary license--making up and adding to what little we know with grand imagination. A piece of truth in the film is this: Remember the scene outside Vermeer's house where one woman is sewing in a doorway? That is his house! We know because that scene is taken from one of his paintings!
What we do know is the luminous quality of his art, that moment of tension, and also the allegorical meanings of his earlier paintings. One such example is "Woman Holding A Balance." Interpretations have changed over the years, but the consensus now is that of a favorite Vermeer theme of balance in one's life, no matter the setting.
Holding this book in one's lap, quietly turning the pages and studying the paintings, reading the essays--now that's balance!
Book Review: Review
Summary: 5 Stars
This book contained crucial information aboout the Dutch genre painter Johannes Vermeer. It would be helpful for both a reseach paper or report,as well as for educational purposes. It ranged from biographical information to his professional work. The book was well done and nicely written as well. This one source provides vast information. Included are paintings done by the artist. I think most readers would be able to handle the vocabulary of this book. When finished with this book you will definetly be informed about the artist Jan Vermeer.
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