The Art of Painting (Vermeer)
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The Art of Painting, also known as The Allegory of Painting, and or Painter in his Studio, is a famous 17th century oil on canvas painting by Dutch painter, Johannes Vermeer. Many art historians believe that it is an allegory of painting, hence the alternative title of the painting. It is the largest and most complex of all of Vermeer's works.
The painting is famous for being one of Vermeer's favourites, and is also a fine example of the optical style of painting, offering a realistic visual depiction of the scene and especially the effects of light streaming through the windows on various elements of the painting.
Description
The painting depicts a painter painting a female subject in his studio, by a window, with a large map of the Netherlands on the wall behind.
Elements
The painting has only two figures, the painter and his subject. The painter is thought to be a self-portrait of the artist, though the face is not visible.
A number of the items shown in the artist's studio are thought to be somewhat out of place. The marble tiled floor and the golden chandellier are two examples of items which would normally then be reserved for the houses of the well-to-do.
The map in the background is of the Seven United Provinces of the Netherlands, flanked by views of the main centres of power. It was published by Claes Jansz Visscher in 1636.
Symbolism and allegory
Experts attribute symbolism to various aspects of the painting.
The subject is the Muse of History, Clio. This is evidenced by her wearing a laurel wreath, holding a trumpet (depicting fame), possibly carrying a book by Thucydides, which matches the description inCesare Ripa's 16th century book on emblems and personifications titled Iconologia.
The double headed eagle, symbol of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty, former rulers of Holland, which adorns the central golden chandelier, may have represented the Catholic faith. Vermeer was unusual in being a Catholic in a predominantly Protestant Netherlands. The absence of candles in the chandelier might represent the suppression of the Catholic faith.
The map on the back wall has a rip that divides the Netherlands between the north and south. (West is at the top of the map, as was the custom.) The rip symbolizes the division between the Dutch Republic to the north and the Habsburg controlled Flemish provinces to the south. The map by Claes Jansz Visscher (Nicolaum Piscatorem) shows the earlier political division between the Union of Utrecht to the north, and the colonies to the south.
Salvador Dalí refers to "The Art of Painting" in his own surrealistic painting The Ghost of Vermeer of Delft Which Can Be Used As a Table (1934). On Dali's painting we can see the image of Vermeer viewed from his back re-created as a strange kind of table.
History
The painting is considered a work with significance for the artist because the painter himself did not part with it or sell it, even when he was in debt. In 1676, his widow Catharina bequeathed it to her mother, Maria Thins, in an attempt to avoid the sale of the painting to satisfy creditors. The executor of Vermeer's estate, the famous Delft microscopist Anton van Leeuwenhoek, determined that the transferral of the work to the late painter's mother-in-law was illegal.
It is not known who owned the painting for most of the 18th century. It ultimately was acquired by the eminent Dutch physician Gerard van Swieten. The painting was then inherited by Gerard's also-famous son Gottfried van Swieten, and later passed into the hands of Gottfried's heirs. In 1813 it was purchased for 50 florins by the Bohemian-Austrian Count Czernin. Until 1860, the painting was considered to be by Vermeer's contemporary Pieter de Hooch; Vermeer was little known until the late 19th century. Pieter's signature was even forged on the painting. It was at the intervention ofFrench Vermeer scholar, Thoré Bürger and the German art historian Gustav Friedrich Waagen that it was recognised as a Vermeer original. It was placed on public display in the Czernin Museum inVienna. Andrew W. Mellon and others tried to buy the painting.
Art and Design
Art at the beginning was the process of human beings, and therefore a synonym of science.Today, the essence of art can be seen in the expression of human creativity. Art is very difficultto explain and too difficult to assess, that each individual artist to choose their own rules andparameters that lead him or his work, can still be said that art is a process and a product ofchoosing the medium, and a set of rules for the use of the medium, and a set of values thatdetermine what is appropriate to send it through the medium of expression, to convey bothconfidence, ideas, sensations, or feelings in a way as effectively as possible to the medium.Even so, many artists influenced by others of the past, and also some guidelines have emerged to express certain ideas through symbolism and forms (such as death of lily-intentioned and red roses mean love).
Surrealism illustration by Wisdean Eska Maena
Art is a branch of art that make up the artwork with the media to catch the eye and felt withpalpation. This impression was created by processing the concept of line, plane, shape,volume, color, texture, and lighting with aesthetic reference.
Art divided into three categories, namely pure art, craft, and design. Pure art refers to works that are only for the purpose of personal gratification excretion, while craft and design is more focused functionality and ease of production.
As a rough translation of art in English is a fine art. But with the development of modern artworld, the term fine art becomes more specific to the notion of pure art to then combine with the design and craft into a discussion of visual arts.
Aesthetic derived from the Greek, αισθητική, read aisthetike. First used by the philosopherAlexander Gottlieb Baumgarten in 1735 to understanding the science of things that can be felt through feelings.
In contemporary aesthetics can mean three things, namely:
2. The study of the phenomenon of perception
3. The study of the arts as a result of aesthetic experience
Assessment of Beauty
Although initially something beautiful assessed from the technical aspects in shaping a masterpiece, but a change of mindset in society will also influence the assessment of beauty.For example during the romanticism in France, the beauty is the ability to present a grandeur.At the time of realism, beauty means the ability to present something in a state is. During therise of de Stijl in the Netherlands, means the ability to compose the beauty of color and spaceand the ability of abstract objects.
The Concept of The Beauty and The Ugly
Further developments to realize that beauty does not always have a certain formula. Hedeveloped according to public acceptance of ideas generated by the maker's work. Becausethat's always been known for two things in the assessment of beauty, that is the beauty, a work that was recognized many of the standards of beauty and the ugly, a work that did not meet the standards of beauty and by the public are generally considered bad, but if viewed frommany it turned out to show the beauty.
History Judgments of Beauty
The beauty should be judged as works of art first created. But the beauty of the formulation isfirst documented by the philosopher Plato that define the beauty of proportion, harmony, andunity. While Aristotle judge beauty comes from the rules, symmetry, and the presence of Design usually translated as applied arts, architecture, and various other creative achievement.In a sentence, the word "design" can be used both as noun and verb. As a verb, "design"means "the process for making and create a new object". As a noun, "design" is used to refer to the end result of a creative process, be it tangible a plan, proposal, or the shape of realobjects.
The design process generally take into account the aspects of function, esthetics, and variousother aspects, which are usually data obtained from research, thinking, brainstorming, as well as from pre-existing design.
