View of Delft
| Dutch: Gezicht op Delft | |
 | |
| Artist | Johannes Vermeer |
|---|---|
| Year | 1660–1661 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 96.5 cm × 115.7 cm (38.0 in × 45.6 in) |
| Location | Mauritshuis, The Hague |
View of Delft (Dutch: Gezicht op Delft) is an oil painting by Johannes Vermeer, painted ca. 1660–1661. The painting of the Dutch artist's hometown is among his most popular,[1] painted at a time when cityscapes were uncommon. It is one of three known paintings of Delft by Vermeer, along with The Little Street and the lost painting House Standing in Delft.[2] The use of pointillism in the work suggests that it postdates The Little Street.
Painting materials
The technical analysis[3] shows that Vermeer used a limited choice of pigments for this painting: lead white, yellow ochre, natural ultramarine and madder lake are the main painting materials.[4] His painting technique on the other hand is very elaborate and meticulous.[5]
Legacy
In 2011, the painting was featured on gold and silver commemorative coins issued by the Royal Dutch Mint.[6] The painting also features in Marcel Proust's novel In Search of Lost Time. Proust himself greatly admired Vermeer, particularly a View of Delft. When seeing the work for the first time, Proust is quoted as saying:
"Ever since I saw the View of Delft in the museum in The Hague, I have known that I had seen the most beautiful painting in the world".[7]
References
- ↑ Slatkes, Leonard J. (16 July 1981). Vermeer and his contemporaries. Abbeville Press. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-89659-195-0. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
- ↑ Montias, John Michael (1 January 1991). Vermeer and His Milieu: A Web of Social History. Princeton University Press. p. 200. ISBN 978-0-691-00289-7. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
- ↑ Kuhn, H. A Study of the Pigments and Grounds used by Jan Vermeer. Reports and Studies in the History of Art, 1968, 154–202
- ↑ Johannes Vermeer, 'View of Delft', ColourLex
- ↑ Arthur K. Wheelock Jr. and C. J. Kaldenbach, Vermeer’s View of Delft” and His Vision of Reality, Artibus et Historiae, Vol. 3, No. 6 (1982), pp. 9–35
- ↑ "New Coins Pay Homage to Dutch Artwork and the Old Dutch Masters". Coin Update. 15 April 2011.
- ↑ Townsend, Gabrielle (2008-01-01). Proust's Imaginary Museum. Peter Lang. ISBN 9783039111244.
Further reading
- Liedtke, Walter A. (2001). Vermeer and the Delft School. Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 978-0-87099-973-4.
- Arthur K. Wheelock Jr. and C. J. Kaldenbach, "Vermeer’s View of Delft and His Vision of Reality", Artibus et Historiae, Vol. 3, No. 6 (1982), pp. 9–35.
External links
- http://kalden.home.xs4all.nl/verm/view/Vermeer_main.html
- Johannes Vermeer, View of Delft, ColourLex
- Janson, J., Critical Assessments: View of Delft, Essential Vermeer, website. Essays about this painting by several scholars quoted from books on Vermeer