Here’s a pearl of wisdom.
After 360 years, an art historian has allegedly solved one of art history’s most enduring mysteries — the identity of the subject in the “Girl With A Pearl Earring” painting.
Art expert Andrew Graham-Dixon dropped this alleged bombshell in a recent Times of London article ahead of the release of his new book “Vermeer: A Life Lost and Found.”
In it, it was disclosed that the artist who painted the iconic opus in 1665, Johannes Vermeer, almost exclusively worked for Dutch husband and wife Pieter Claeszoon van Ruijven and Maria de Knuijt, in Delft, Netherlands, who were part of a radical Christian sect called the Remonstrants, the Telegraph reported.
Therefore, Graham-Dixon believes that the pensive-looking girl in the painting — notable for her exotic-looking turban and, of course, giant pearl earring — is most likely the patron’s 10-year-old daughter, Magdalena.
Graham-Dixon noted that the girl was dressed as Jesus’s follower Mary Magdalene — the Remonstrants modeled their lives on Mary Magdalene and other followers of Jesus.
“She (Magdalena) would have been 12 in the autumn of 1667, and assuming that she was a Collegiant, a more radical outgrowth like her parents, she would have solemnized her commitment to Christ at that age,” claimed Graham-Dixon.
The art aficionado added that every painting by Vermeer, who was also raised as a Remonstrant and participated in Collegiant gatherings, “was inspired by the religious beliefs cherished by Marie de Knuijt and those close to her, who included Vermeer himself.”
Of course, Graham-Dixon’s assertion is the topic of some dispute.
Ruth Millington, the author of “Muse: Uncovering the Hidden Figures Behind Art History’s Masterpieces,” believes that the oil painting isn’t necessarily a case of art imitating life.
“The allure of this painting is the mystery of the muse,” she told the Daily Mail. “It’s not meant to be a direct portrait of a sitter who can be easily identified, but rather a ‘tronie,’ a picture of an imaginary figure. Too often, people read paintings as purely biographical when there’s more complexity to them.”
Unlike some of his Dutch contemporaries, Vermeer was famous for tantalizing viewers by withholding meaning from his art, the BBC reported.
Even Tracy Chevalier, author of “Girl With A Pearl Earring” (a novel about the painting that inspired the 2003 film of the same name starring Scarlett Johansson), claimed that the “image works because it is unresolved.”
“You can’t ever answer the question of what she’s thinking or how she’s feeling,” she said while describing the painting’s serene-looking subject. “If it were resolved, then you’d move onto the next painting.”
Read the full article here
