Project 2 Room and Narrative

The Music Lesson 1662-65 by Jan Vermeer

The key themes I have identified (and that interest me) are:

Light - the source, the effect it has up one the materiality of different surfaces, whether manipulating or distorting where it's projected.

The window being partially obscured suggests ideas of privacy, screening, filtration, translucent light - again creating distortion, a dimly lit space.

Privacy: aside from the above mentioned, the placement of the figures hint towards the setting being a private moment. The key figure, the lady playing the piano, has her back turned to the viewer, and the placement of objects in front of them against the back wall, suggests that Vermeer has created a private space in the large room.

Manipulation - Vermeer's works are all carefully constructed. Aside from the composition, he considered everything from the way light is to affect the objects (the shadows are not always realistic, and some have been removed in order to create his desired atmosphere) to what objects to place so he can demonstrate a wider range of materiality. The mirror hung above the wall shows the edge of an easel, perhaps purposely to imply the presence of the creator.

The mirror - reflection/distortion. (the mirror is not true.) Again, this references the idea of manipulation.

Spatial relationships - apparently, the depth of this room is more shallow than we perceive, because Vermeer has painted the objects to have a greater contrast of size, to create a longer room. The beams and flooring contribute to this. The perspective lines draw our eyes directly to the subject - placed in the center background against a white surface. All these ideas express the way Vermeer manipulates the composition to evoke a certain atmosphere.

The constant presence of water is a recurrent theme of Dutch painting, perhaps as a religious reference. Here, water is present in the jug towards the edge of the painting.

The significance of music - the writing on the piano says "music companion to joy, balm for sorrow" - this evokes privacy for me again, private feelings and experiences. It also suggest sound, but calming, gentle sound, constant and fluid.

The strong horizontal and vertical lines - created by the patterned floor, the ceiling beams, the window panes, the piano keys.

References:

1)Franits, Wayne. E. The Cambridge Companion to Vermeer. Cambridge, Uk: Cambridge University Press, 2001.
2)Janson, Jonathan. Essential Vermeer. (2001-2009), http://www.essentialvermeer.com/ (accessed 13th April).
3)Wheelock Jr, Arthur K. Vermeer and the Art of Painting. Yale University, 1995.