Week 3: Baroque Era, Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring

 Baroque Era: Johannes Vermeer - An Introspective Look 

                               Johannes Vermeer, Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Netherlands, c. 1665, Oil on Canvas

    My initial thought when looking through artists in the Baroque period was "Who made the Girl with a Pear Earring," as my mother had used this for a previous art-related assignment, having to change it, and used me as her muse for it. I remember it so vividly, and this painting has stuck in my mind since. It only seemed natural to look for the artist who made this masterpiece, Johannes Vermeer, who is known to only have made 36 works of art. He was directly associated with the rise of the merchant class, as merchants and the middle class had a growing demand for art in the Netherlands. This meant that Vermeer could sell his artwork off to wealthy individuals and keep making more. Vermeer was known for historic and domestic depictions of life in his paintings, which would reflect the values of the people in this era of history. 

    Now, when looking at this painting, what do you see? Well, I'll tell you what I see; I see the blue of the turban head cover popping out first, then the face of the girl, and finally the earring made of pearl. 

    Let's dive into the first part of this, the headband. This turban-like head cover is made of blue and yellow and catches the eye immediately with its masterful brush strokes that focus on lighter colors against the harsher background of the canvas. The blue itself is actually quite special, as this blue was made out of a special pigment called ultramarine. Ultramarine is made from lapis lazuli, which is from Afghanistan and was not only extremely rare to see in paintings but was highly expensive, even more so than gold at the time! Most artists could only dream of using this pigment, but Vermeer somehow used it in almost every one of his paintings, and not only did he use it in main points like the turban, but in other works he even used it for subtle shading and in the backgrounds as well. How he got a hold of it and how he was able to use so much is still a mystery to the public today.

    The "girl" in this painting is actually a 'tronie', which is a painting of an imaginary person or thing. The girl does not actually exist in this painting but instead is meant to depict a certain type of person. She is shrouded in mystery, not meant to be identifiable by her face as someone you know, but rather identifiable with a type of person instead. She is sown on a plain, dark background that helps accentuate the lighter features she has, such as her turban, exotic clothing, and that staple pearl earring. The earring is also much larger in scale than a normal pearl earring, which could be symbolism. The pearl is normally a symbol of beauty and wealth, so seeing a pearl of this unimaginable size brings into question the unattainable beauty standards for women, as well as the wealth that many could not obtain back in the 17th century. That being said, back when Vermeer was alive, pearls, either real or fake, were quite fashionable during his time and appeared in 18 of his 36 known paintings. Vermeer was so good at painting pearls that it only took a few strokes of his brush and he had them painted to perfection. The one in this painting is no different, with it only taking 2 brush strokes of white to paint. 

    Would I personally own this painting? It depends, but I might honestly want a small version of it in my house near the kitchen. It would look good along with some fruit bowl paintings, and, for me at least, it would hold some sentimental value of the time with my mother and her hard work recreating it with me for her class. 

Citations:

Girl with a Pearl Earring. Mauritshuis, www.mauritshuis.nl/en/our-collection/artworks/670-girl-with-a-pearl-earring. Accessed 26 Feb. 2025.

Johannes Vermeer. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2025, www.britannica.com/biography/Johannes-Vermeer. Accessed 26 Feb. 2025.

Johannes Vermeer. Mauritshuis, www.mauritshuis.nl/en/our-collection/our-masters/johannes-vermeer. Accessed 26 Feb. 2025.

Johannes Vermeer – The Master of Light. JohannesVermeer.org, www.johannesvermeer.org/. Accessed 26 Feb. 2025.

Rembrandt, Vermeer and Hals: Artists of the Dutch Golden Age. Pilot Guides, www.pilotguides.com/articles/rembrandt-vermeer-and-hals-artists-of-the-dutch-golden-age/. Accessed 26 Feb. 2025.

Who Is Vermeer? National Gallery of Art, www.nga.gov/stories/who-is-vermeer.html. Accessed 26 Feb. 2025.