Google Doodle celebrates forgotten Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer

Johannes Vermeer was a Dutch painter of the Baroque interval most well-known for capturing in beautiful element the tranquil scenes of every day life in home inside settings. He’s notably famend for the sharp contrasts created by his delicate use of sunshine and shadow, in addition to as his perspective-correct work.

Though solely 35 of his work survive, Vermeer is taken into account one of many biggest artists of the Dutch Golden Age. To rejoice his expertise, Google devoted a Doodle to Vermeer on Friday — the twenty sixth anniversary of the opening of an exhibition at Washington, DC’s Nationwide Gallery of Artwork that includes 21 of his works.

Vermeer was born in Delft, Holland in 1632, however little is understood about Vermeer’s life, as none of his private writings has ever been discovered. Regardless of average success as a painter, Vermeer died at age 43, leaving his spouse in debt. Maybe as a result of he produced comparatively few work, Vermeer was largely forgotten by the artwork world for practically two centuries earlier than being rediscovered within the late nineteenth century.

The only work he is maybe finest identified for is the 1665 oil portray Lady with a Pearl Earring, which in recent times has made a number of literary and cinematic appearances, together with a 1999 historic novel of the identical title that advised a fictional story concerning the portray’s creation.

Friday’s Doodle depicts three of Vermeer’s different noteworthy work as if on show facet by facet in a museum. On the left is The Artwork of Portray (also called The Allegory of Portray), an oil on canvas created between 1666 and 1668 that exhibits an artist portray a lady posing for a portrait in his studio.

Within the middle is Girl Writing a Letter Together with her Maid, a 1670-1671 creation that exhibits a lady sitting at a desk composing a letter whereas her maid stands behind her, gazing out a window as she waits for the letter to be accomplished.

Lastly, on the proper, is Lady Studying a Letter at an Open Window, a portray of appreciable intrigue accomplished in roughly 1657-59. The portray was misattributed to different artists for a few years earlier than Vermeer was recognized because the artist in 1880.

A long time after Vermeer’s loss of life, the portray was altered to obscure a picture of a big cupid hanging on the wall behind the lady. Cupid’s overpainted picture was first recognized by X-ray in 1979, and whereas Google’s model exhibits the altered model, the god of affection was restored to the portray in 2021 after a three-year restoration effort.

With Cupid once more watching over the lady, it’s instructed a romance exists with the writer of the letter.

However if you happen to look intently, you will note Google has inserted two letters from its title into every of Vermeer’s work.

You may discover extra of Vermeer’s artwork by Google’s Arts and Culture undertaking.