Impressionist Art Man and Woman Yellow Hat Red Hat

Daughter with the Red Lid has a curious status amid Vermeer scholars. Although this small-scale panel painting is widely loved and admired, its attribution to Vermeer has been doubted, and even rejected, by some. [ane] [1]
The attribution of Daughter with the Red Hat to Vermeer has been doubted past Frithjof van Thienen, Jan Vermeer of Delft (New York, 1949), 23. The painting was rejected by P. T. A. Swillens, Johannes Vermeer: Painter of Delft, 1632–1675 (Utrecht, 1950), 65; Albert Blankert, Rob Ruurs, and Willem 50. van de Watering, Johannes Vermeer van Delft 1632–1675 (Utrecht, 1975; English language ed., Oxford, 1978), 167–172; Yvonne Brentjens, "Twee meisjes van Vermeer in Washington," Tableau vii (February 1985): 54–58; and Gilles Aillaud, Albert Blankert, and John Michael Montias, Vermeer (Paris, 1986), 200–201. For reactions to Blankert'due south rejection of this painting, see the reviews past Christopher Brown (Christopher Chocolate-brown, review of  Albert Blankert, Rob Ruurs, and Willem 50. van de Watering, Johannes Vermeer van Delft 1632–1675 [Utrecht, 1975], Simiolus ix [1977]: 56–58) and Arthur 1000. Wheelock Jr. (Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., review of Albert Blankert, Rob Ruurs, and Willem Fifty. van de Watering, Johannes Vermeer van Delft 1632–1675 [Utrecht, 1975], Art Message 59 [September 1977]: 439–441).  Benjamin Binstock has attributed Girl with a Carmine Hat to Vermeer's daughter Maria Vermeer; see Benjamin Binstock, Vermeer's Family Secrets: Genius, Discovery, and the Unknown Amateur (New York, 2009), 247–257, 253 repro. The attribution of this work has often been discussed in conjunction with the just other console painting in Vermeer'due south oeuvre, Girl with a Flute [fig. one] [fig. ane] Attributed to Johannes Vermeer, Girl with a Flute, probably 1665/1675, oil on console, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Widener Collection, 1942.9.98 , which has been often wrongly viewed every bit a pendant. [two] [ii]
For a comparative analysis of the paintings, encounter the entry on Girl with a Flute . The emotional response elicited by Girl with the Blood-red Lid is, indeed, different from that found in other of his paintings, for every bit the girl turns outward, with her mouth half opened, her eyes seem lit with expectancy. The lushness of her blue robes, the almost passionate flaming red of her lid, and the subtle interplay of light-green and rose tones in her face give her a vibrancy unique in Vermeer'southward paintings. Unlike nigh of his figures, she does not be in a cognitive, abstract world. Situated earlier a backdrop of a figured tapestry, [3] [iii]
Although just a portion of the tapestry is visible, it appears that ii rather large-scale figures are depicted behind the girl. The patterned vertical strip on the right is probably the outer border. A. M. Louise E. Muler-Erkelens, keeper of textiles, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, relates this format to belatedly sixteenth-century tapestries of the southern Netherlands. She as well notes that the tapestries in Vermeer's paintings belong to the aforementioned period (encounter her letter of May 7, 1974, to A. B. de Vries, copy  in NGA curatorial files). she communicates directly with us, both staring out and cartoon us in.

The pose of a girl looking over her shoulder at the viewer is ordinarily found in Vermeer'due south oeuvre, although in no other example does she lean an arm on the back of a chair. However, similar poses are found in the works of Vermeer's contemporaries. [four] [4]
For example, Frans Hals (Dutch, c. 1582/1583 - 1666), who apparently invented the pose, used it frequently. It is employed in his Portrait of a Boyfriend , to capture an breezy, momentary impression of the sitter. He drapes the effigy'due south arm over the chair, subordinating the horizontal for a more active diagonal emphasis. Vermeer minimized the diagonal thrust of the daughter's arm by partially obscuring information technology behind the lion finials of the chair. It is possible that the daughter was not sitting on the lion finial chair at all and that Vermeer placed it in the foreground to act equally a foil. Come across Charles Seymour Jr., "Dark Sleeping accommodation and Lite-Filled Room: Vermeer and the Photographic camera Obscura," Art Bulletin 46 (September 1964): 323–331. As he did in other works, including Woman Holding a Balance , Vermeer adjusted his forms to arrange his composition. In actuality, the lion-caput finials of the chair are too close to each other and are not correctly aligned. The left finial is much larger than the right one and is angled too far to the right. The tiptop of the chair, if extended to the left finial, would intersect information technology above the bottom of the band that loops through the lion's mouth. The finials, moreover, face toward the viewer, whereas if they belonged to the chair upon which the girl sits, they should face toward her. [5] [5]
The first fine art historian to note this discrepancy was Reginald Howard Wilenski, An Introduction to Dutch Art (New York, 1929), 284–285. He hypothesized that the peculiar arrangement of the finials arose equally a result of Vermeer's employ of a mirror. His reconstruction of Vermeer's painting process, all the same, is untenable. As in Frans Hals' Portrait of a Swain , only the back of the lion's head should be visible.

The questions raised by the position of the chair and its spatial relationship to the girl take bothered observers of the painting in the by. [6] [6]
Albert Blankert, Rob Ruurs, and Willem Fifty. van de Watering, Johannes Vermeer van Delft 1632-1675 (Utrecht, 1975; English ed., Oxford, 1978), 109, in item, emphasizes the position of the finials in his arguments confronting the attribution of the painting to Vermeer. Interestingly, the spatial discrepancies are non really noticeable until ane begins analyzing the painting very closely. Visually, the spatial arrangement works; Vermeer succeeded in integrating his figure with the chair and at the same time in using the chair to aid establish the specific mood he sought. [7] [vii]
The idea that Vermeer adjusted forms in such a manner is incompatible with those who believe that he totally and faithfully recorded his physical environment. P. T. A. Swillens, Johannes Vermeer: Painter of Delft, 1632–1675 (Utrecht, 1950), was the foremost proponent of this estimation of Vermeer's manner of painting. This attitude besides underlies the writings about Vermeer by Albert Blankert.

Despite similarities in the way Vermeer adjusted his forms for compositional emphasis, the Woman Holding a Balance and this painting are undeniably dissimilar. Whereas the Woman Property a Balance is an involved composition, imbued with complex forms and symbolism, the Girl with the Red Chapeau is no more than than a bust, portrayed with a feeling of spontaneity and informality that is unique in the artist's oeuvre. It is every bit though this small-scale painting were a report, or an experiment. Particularly hitting are the light reflections on the right lion-head finial, which have the diffused characteristic of unfocused points of light in a photograph, called "halation of highlights." It is highly unlikely that Vermeer could have accomplished this effect without having witnessed it in a camera obscura. [8] [eight]
The literature on Vermeer and the photographic camera obscura is all-encompassing. Meet in particular Arthur Thousand. Wheelock Jr., Jan Vermeer (New York, 1981), note 41. Indeed, it may well be that in this painting Vermeer actually attempted to capture the impression of an image seen in a camera obscura.

The hypothesis that Vermeer might have used a camera obscura while painting the Girl with the Ruby-red Hat was convincingly argued by Charles Seymour. [ix] [9]
See Charles Seymour Jr., "Dark Bedchamber and Light-Filled Room: Vermeer and the Photographic camera Obscura," Art Bulletin 46 (September 1964): 323– 331. He demonstrated, with the aid of first-class experimental photographs, the close similarity of Vermeer's painterly treatment of the lion-head finial and an unfocused image seen in a camera obscura ( [fig. 2] [fig. ii] Detail of lion-head finial, Johannes Vermeer, Girl with the Ruby Hat, c. 1666/1667, oil on panel, National Gallery of Fine art, Washington, Andrew Westward. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.53 and [fig. iii] [fig. three] Experimental photo, king of beasts-head finial. Photo: Harry Beville ). Vermeer exploited this outcome to animate his surface and to distinguish different depths of field. [ten] [10]
He may besides have recognized that the peculiarly soft quality of these unfocused highlights would beautifully express the luminosity of pearls. Thus even in paintings such as Adult female Holding a Balance , whose genesis probably has trivial to do with the camera obscura, these optical effects are credible.

I of the many misconceptions nearly Vermeer's painting style that has afflicted theories regarding his use of the camera obscura, including that of Seymour, is that Vermeer was a realist in the strictest sense, that his paintings faithfully tape models, rooms, and effects he saw before him. [11] [11]
This misconception lies at the basis of the interpretation of Vermeer'southward apply of the camera obscura advanced by Daniel Eastward. Fink, "Vermeer's Use of the Camera Obscura: A Comprehensive Written report," Art Bulletin 53 (December 1971): 493–505. See Charles Seymour Jr., "Dark Chamber and Light-Filled Room: Vermeer and the Camera Obscura," Fine art Bulletin 46 (September 1964): 323– 331. Equally is axiomatic in all his other mature works, the compositions are the product of intense control and refinement. Figures and their environments are subtly interlocked through perspective, proportions, and colour. This aforementioned mentality must take dictated his creative procedure, whether he viewed his scene directly or through an optical device such as a camera obscura. Every bit has been seen, even in this small Daughter with the Red Hat, which possibly of all of Vermeer's images nigh closely resembles the effects of a camera obscura, he shifted and adapted his forms to maintain his compositional balance. Thus, even though he must have referred to an image from a camera obscura when painting Girl with the Ruby Chapeau and sought to exploit some of its optical effects, including the intensified colors, accentuated contrasts of light and dark, and circles of confusion, it is most unlikely that he traced the image directly on the console. [12] [12]
As suggested by Charles Seymour Jr., "Night Bedroom and Light-Filled Room: Vermeer and the Camera Obscura," Art Bulletin 46 (September 1964): 323– 331. The possibility that he traced his more circuitous compositions is even more remote.

Vermeer'due south handling of diffused highlights in his paintings, including View of Delft (Mauritshuis, The Hague) [13] [13]
See inventory number 92, from Mauritshuis, The Hague. suggests that he used them creatively besides, and non totally in accord with their bodily appearance in a camera obscura. In Daughter with the Red Hat he has accentuated the diffuse xanthous highlights on the daughter's blue robes, whereas in a camera obscura reflections off unfocused cloth create blurred images. He even painted some of his diffused highlights in the shadows, where they would not appear in whatever circumstance.

The bodily manner in which he practical highlights is comparable to that seen in The Art of Painting, c. 1667 (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna). [14] [14]
See inventory number 9128, c. 1667, from Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. Not but do the specular highlights on the finial share similarities with those on the chandelier in the latter piece of work, but as well the diffused highlights on the robe in Girl with the Ruby-red Hat are comparable to those on the fabric hanging over the front border of the tabular array in the Vienna painting. These similarities, equally well equally the comparably generalized forms of the girls' heads in the ii paintings, argue for a close chronological relationship. It seems probable that both works were executed effectually 1666 to 1667, slightly before The Astronomer (Louvre, Paris), which is dated 1668.

Vermeer ordinarily painted on canvas, and it is interesting to speculate on the rationale behind his determination to pigment on panel in this particular case. [15] [fifteen]
The simply other panel painting attributed to Vermeer is the National Gallery of Art'south Daughter with a Flute . The explanation may simply be that for such a small-scale written report console was a more than advisable support than canvas. The pick of back up, yet, may also relate to the apply of the photographic camera obscura. He may have chosen a hard, shine surface to lend to his small-scale study the sheen of an epitome seen in a photographic camera obscura as it is projected onto a basis glass or tautly stretched oiled paper.

Vermeer selected for his painting a panel that had already been used. The image of an unfinished, bosom-length portrait of a man with a wide-brimmed chapeau lies under Daughter with the Red Lid. Information technology is visible in the X-radiograph [see 10-radiography A photographic or digital prototype analysis method that visually records an object'south power to absorb or transmit ten-rays. The differential absorption pattern is useful for examining an object's internal construction equally well every bit for comparison the variation in paint types. ] of the panel ( [fig. iv] [fig. iv] X-radiograph composite, Johannes Vermeer, Girl with the Ruddy Hat, c. 1666/1667, oil on panel, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.53 ) and with Infrared Reflectography A photographic or digital image analysis method which captures the absorption/emission characteristics of reflected infrared radiation. The assimilation of infrared wavelengths varies for different pigments, so the resultant image tin help distinguish the pigments that have been used in the painting or underdrawing. ( [fig. 5] [fig. 5] Infrared reflectogram, Johannes Vermeer, Girl with the Red Hat, c. 1666/1667, oil on panel, National Gallery of Fine art, Washington, Andrew Westward. Mellon Drove, 1937.ane.53 ). Because the man is in the reverse position of the girl, it is possible to examine his face in the X-radiograph without as well much interference from the surface image ( [fig. half dozen] [fig. 6] Upside-down X-radiograph composite, Johannes Vermeer, Girl with the Red Hat, c. 1666/1667, oil on console, National Gallery of Fine art, Washington, Andrew Due west. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.53 and [fig. 7] [fig. vii] Upside-down infrared reflectogram, Johannes Vermeer, Girl with the Red Chapeau, c. 1666/1667, oil on panel, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Andrew Due west. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.53 ). The painting style of this face is very dissimilar from that of Vermeer. The face is modeled with a number of bold rapid strokes that have not been composite together. The infrared reflectogram composite reveals a great flourish of strokes to the right of the face that represented the human being'south long curly hair.

Although it is impossible to attribute a painting to an creative person solely on the basis of an X-radiograph, certain characteristics of the treatment of the paint in the underlying image are remarkably similar to those seen in paintings byCarel Fabritius (Dutch, c. 1622 - 1654). The small calibration of the panel, the subject thing of a male person bust, and the crude bold strokes and impasto with which the caput is painted are all features establish in studies past Fabritius from the late 1640s, such every bit Man with a Helmet in the Groninger Museum, Groningen. [sixteen] [16]
Oil on panel, 38.5 10 31 cm, illustrated in Christopher Dark-brown, Carel Fabritius (Oxford, 1981), pl. 3. At his death Vermeer owned two tronies by Fabritius. [17] [17]
John Michael Montias, Vermeer and His Milieu: A Spider web of Social History (Princeton, 1989), 339, doc. 364. The term tronie had various meanings in the seventeenth century, merely mostly it denoted a small, relatively cheap bust-length effigy study. Although such studies could have been commissioned portraits, about were probably figure types, or character studies, produced for the open market. Because that Vermeer was an art dealer and may take studied under Fabritius, he could well have endemic others during his lifetime. [eighteen] [18]
For another small painting in the National Gallery of Fine art collection where i artist has reused a console previously painted by another artist by turning the image 180 degrees, see Follower of Rembrandt van Rijn, Study of an Old Homo .

Arthur K. Wheelock Jr.

April 24, 2014

zhangvand1953.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.60.html

Share this post