Vermeer and the Art of Painting

About this book

This book examines the creative process and technical means by which the great Dutch seventeenth-century painter achieved his remarkable pictorial effects. Arthur Wheelock begins by placing Vermeers art in historical perspective with emphasis on the artistic environment in his home city of Delft and the importance of history painting in the mid-1600s. He then closely examines seventeen of the thirty-six extant paintings in Vermeers oeuvre works that span the range of the artists career. Using the results of x-rays pigment analysis and infrared reflectography some of the secrets of Vermeers wonderfully elusive artistry are revealed. For example Vermeer was able to simulate reality simplify and highlight meaning establish a sense of time and permanence and enhance the mood he wished to create through inventive use of brushwork color and compositional refinements. Lavishly illustrated with color reproductions of Vermeers paintings the book is certain to appeal to all devotees of Dutch art.