This Painting of a Mystery Girl Is on Another Level

the camera obscura is just a tool, a utensil. Some use more sophisticated technology than others. Artist now can paint a generated AI image. I wonder if this is brought up in the Vermeer exhibition in the Netherlands in 2022. It was completely sold out, so if anyone went, please comment.
The expensive blue indigo they got from the island Curacao the Dutch colonized in 1634 as the Spanish were not interested, they wanted the actual gold to finance the wars and stay a superpower at that time.

This is my favorite painting of all time even before knowing these details. No painting made me feel something as much this painting had.

This was really good.

Lapis Lazuli is not exclusive to Afghanistan, since he used the prickly pear, it's possible he got it from South America where it is common to find Lapis and also would most likely be cheaper.

Is it me or did the background painting just moved?

Love your channel! Going to buy your book too!

I subbing you for your sense of humor alone. 😅

Vermeer's work is astounding!

The bug from cactus (cochineal) is still used today, not only in paint but...wait for it...food coloring. Read the labels of red colored food, like pink grapefruit juice, you'll see cochineal.

Johannes Vermeer Was A Warlock He has His Hand Cut Off By Gypsys

Me and my sisters named her "Aphrodite".

I love this painting but for the life of me I cannot see a pearl!!! I see a silver globe.

It's on my bucket list to see a Vermeer in person.

Yes, it does have a hook. It's very almost obscure, but it's there.....

A lens is not necessary to create a camera obscura. The first ones did have a lens, and even before I had ever heard of the camera obscura I created one by accident when I was a child.
My parents had just purchased a brand new fridge and gave me the box it came in to use it as a "club house".
I had the box in the front yard and had closed it up so it was very dark inside the box.
That is when I saw a slightly blurry inverted, moving picture on the back wall of the box. I quickly realized it was an image of what was going on outside.
The light was coming through a pinhole in the box. It was almost magical.

I love this painting. I really enjoyed the story/ movie and have the book about Vermeer. The way he used the color is just beautiful, and the girl is lovely. As an artist myself, i agree, if he used a camera obscurer, more power to him. To have to draw the picture and then paint it too, takes a lot of time, if you can find a way of getting the drawing done quickly, the better use of your time to focus on the painting. Painting is not at all easy. Some paintings take years to finish. As well as change in the middle of them or covering mistakes or what we artists perceive to be mistakes. I often think that most artists are OCD. lol

Question! If the artist used the camera obscura, how can you come to the conclusion that this woman is imaginary? (what you said at the beginning)

Your sense of humour is witty and appreciated

She's basically the first anime character

Why was pearl a significants. Was there something to these pearls? Some group? Very early politics?

Just found this channel, I love your analyses

Your brilliancy... and your humour!!! Thank you!

A few years ago I got to see a number of Vermeer's paintings and the way that they glow in real life is incredible. A View of Delft looked photorealistic. Even if he did use a camera obscura, what he did with the materials was amazing!

I just read the novel about the painting. Was very beautiful ❤

The curtain behind her and her position suggest that she might have been peeking through the curtain when we caught her, or that she might be about to part the curtain and is inviting us to come closer, so she can show us something that is behind it.

Viewing it from the lens of it being his daughter gives it a "daaad, stop taking pictures of me vibe" that I never would've thought of before lol

It seems to me that even if he used a device to sketch the scene in broad strokes, that doesn't take anything from his ability to paint. Its weird because I can see a woman I know in this painting, but it's clearly not her. I think that because of the talent of the artist she looks so real, that I make that jump. What a wonderful painting and thank you for your thoughts, they always give me so much more to think about.

There’s writing on the back of the painting which says it’s from imagination

David Hockney's book "Secret Knowledge" is a must read for anyone who loves Vermeer, Caravaggio, Leonardo. The nut of his thesis is, if these geniuses had access to lenses and we know they did, why wouldn't they have used them. I have close friends/artists, who consider this idea practically sacrilegious. Also maybe Vermeer just heald up a small pearl and painted it bigger.

She kinda looks like Lady Gaga before plastic surgery

If he was less of an artist because he used a camera/projector, what would that make 90% of today's artists? On the contrary, he was a genius for inventing a use for the camera obscura that nobody before him thought of!

I was so lucky to visit The Hague and see this painting. Her facial expression was “really? You came all this way??

I copied this painting and rendered it with a polychromes. I love copying art like this I feel like I took a step or two in the artists shoes. Staring at this girl for hours gave me the distinct impression that this girl was so sick of sitting for me and would regularly hmph at having to sit still. I conclusion I Think this is the face of a girl that is soooo sick of sitting still for her dad she is giving him attitude

Camera Obscuras cannot improve the innate skills needed to paint. Free hand drawing is tediously slow and when your livelihood depended on speed..you used whatever technology was at hand. I know this because I am a working artist/painter. I was shown as a teen several methods to improve my drawing speed/accuracy by a Commercial Artist friend of my parents. Now that a modern Camera Obscura is available; will be purchasing one for myself and to share with my son and Grandson to try with their art works.

Yeah, she is definitely my cat.

Love your channel.
Vermeer was a genius.

I love the movie! Is that a true story?? Who knows?
🤷🏻‍♀️☺️

I don't think using devices is a bad thing, tools don't make the art.

The girl earring a pearl look hillary Clinton younger 😅😅😅

Moist moist… 🤣 you are hilarious!

I've been teaching myself to paint in the old masters methods, so I'm currently attempting to paint Girl with Pearl Earring. Not to mention, it's my very first time attempting a portrait.... not kidding. It's very difficult. I had no trouble with her turbin and dress, but her face and skin colors are a whole different story. I'm getting it, little by little, but it's slow going. I'm also using a photo of his painting after it hasmd been cleaned, so the colors don't look like the colors in the image used in this video. There is actually fabric hanging on the wall, which was impossible to see before the painting was cleaned. I was shocked at how much color was used in her skin!! I knew skin had more colors than we realize, due to uneven skin tones, reflected light, and reflected colors. But damn.... it's really difficult to get it just right in every area. I am working really slowly on this painting.... and correcting myself as I go. I'm really enjoying my attempt at it. ❤

I love this channel and all the wonderful artwork. Your comments are funny and spot on. Vermeer is my favorite painter and I love to stare at his work and find something new everytime I see them. Thank you for showing me things I have missed in these paintings by so many great artists. It's a great channel!!

So is every character he painted an identifiable person or are art people just weird sometimes?

Camera obscura sounds like a tool more painters could use. 😛 I cannot see anything wrong with it.

As a Dutch person I've always felt a close connection to these old Dutch paintings, in particular this one.
I've adored it as long as I can remember and this both makes me want to wear pearl earrings and start painting 🖌🎨😊
And maybe wear 1600s Dutch fashion😅

I believe perhaps the girl was his daughter...hm? The story seems he was father to 11 to 14 children. She seems very young and has that look when asked "do your homework yet?" Or "turn that down!" I always cringe when this visage is sexuallized. My view would make a dull book or movie, however, deserves more investigation wherever that might lead.

Never even heard of this painting, but after this video I wanna see the painting

I wouldn't say the painting is on another level but compared to a lot of the modern art I've seen, its very good.