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Finding vermeer book6/3/2023 ![]() There is very little documentation about Vermeer, and so I had to start by finding out what were the suggested methods and materials for artists at the time, and how people were using lenses. Because his pictures look quite different from his contemporaries, the big questions are whether he worked in an unusual way, and also how he could have used a lens in his studio. But he only had the same things available to him as did any other painter of his day. There is quite a lot of argument about Vermeer’s working practice, particularly over whether or not he might have used an optical aid, such as a camera obscura. ![]() ![]() It’s been a bit of a voyage of discovery, as I found myself going in all sorts of unexpected directions, but in writing about Vermeer’s studio methods, I had to look at a number of things all at once, and it’s very much as I think painters work. My book is really all about the way paintings are created, and seeing how the materials and tools of a painter influence the way things turn out. But actually, making comes before meaning. I think that you can look at pictures, and imagine that artists only look at meaning in their work. But I wanted to give a take on painting of the past from a practical point of view. ![]() The thing is, I’m actually not an art historian, I’m a painter, and words aren’t really my medium. You must be pleased to get this out and onto peoples’ shelves. Not every art historian gets their hands dirty in quite the same way or quite the same extent. Foreign Policy & International RelationsĬongratulations on your book. ![]()
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