Final project art ii

By: Verenice GallegosArt 102

Final Project

Johannes Vermeer’s Woman Holding a Balance

http://www.nga.gov/feature/vermeer/index.shtm ArtistJohannes VermeerYear1662–1663TypeOil on canvasDimensions42.5 cm × 38 cm (16.7 in × 15 in)LocationNational Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Saturday, November 24, 12

http://www.nga.gov/feature/vermeer/index.shtm


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Vermeer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Vermeer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_painting

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_painting

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Gallery_of_Art

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Gallery_of_Art

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_D.C.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_D.C.

Women Holding a BalanceThe website National Gallery Art provides an in-in depth analysis of the painting Women Holding a Balance by the artist Johannes Vermeer. The in-depth study was designed and produced by Donna Mann. The website is divided into seven sections: a moment captured, composition, conservation, technique, symbols and meaning, artist’s biography, and credits. In the section a moment captured it gives a description of the painting and setting. The next section is the composition of the painting in which briefly explains the spiritual principle, the focus point, formation of a pyramid, balance, etc. In the section conservation it states when the National Gallery cleaned the painting and show the painting before the treatment and after the treatment. In the following section technique, you can view a various of elements of the painting. Next, is symbols and meaning were you can learn and view a various aspects of the painting’s symbolism. In the section of the artist’s biography you can learn more about the life and art of the artist. The last section credits briefly states who designed, produced, were the content was adapted from, and bibliographic references.


Moment CapturedIn the painting Women Holding a Balance, you can see how the light flows from the window across the wall. Then, the light illuminates a hand, a sleeve, a face, the painting of the Last Judgement in which is hanged on the wall, the table visible with gold and pearls, and in the center hangs a balance from the hand. The scene depicts the stillness of the women and concentration on her task, as the light illuminates the scenery. Vermeer transforms the painting into expressions of perfect harmony and balance when he uses light, color, and composition in the Women Holding a Balance.

In this image, the balance is visible. The women holds the balance in her right hand as she looks down at it.Waiting for it to come to rest.

In this image, you can see a blue cloth, some open boxes, some pearls, and a gold chain that lie on the table.

The image of the women depicts no concern of what is happening around her to the presence of the viewer. With stillness she waits for the balance to rest at equilibrium.

Johannes Vermeer, Woman Holding a Balance, c. 1664, National Gallery of Art, Widener Collection




CompositionThe need to lead a balanced life in the

painting, is often displayed in Vermeer’s work as a spiritual principle. At the

women’s fingers there are orthogonal lines that meet precisely at that point.

What reinforces that focus, is the frame of the Last Judgement that is behind her.

In this painting you can see the formation of a pyramid. That is formed by the women’s hand,

the jewelry, and the table cloth. And exactly at the center of the

painting the balance point of the scale rests.

Here you can see Vermeer’s modification of scale and the

shape of objects to achieve the desire effect of sufficient space for the balance. The bottom of the frame is higher on the right

side than on the left side, behind the women.

Johannes Vermeer, Woman Holding a Balance (detail), c. 1664, National Gallery of Art, Widener Collection




Conservation

LEFT: Before treatment. RIGHT: After treatment. Johannes Vermeer, Woman Holding a Balance, c. 1664, National Gallery of Art, Widener Collection

The painting Women Holding a Balance was cleaned in 1994 by the conservators in National Gallery. They removed the discolored varnish from the paintings surface. During their work, they revealed that the painting had been extended by a half inch, in the past. They restored the painting to it’s original size by removing the added paint. In the painting on left side you can see the grayish paint that was added in the past to the frame of the Last Judgement. After three month’s of work the conservators discovered the golden yellow highlights in the frame that were uncovered.


TechniqueThe use use of infrared reflectography revealed that Vermeer changed the position of the balance by increasing the the size. The light of the infrared reflectography is used to examine the painting into detail. The light penetrates the varnish to reveal the underdrawings and compositional changes that lie beneath the surface of the painting.


The pearls in the painting were painted in two

layers. The first layer consisted of a thin,

diffused grayish glaze and the second layer was

followed by a thick stroke on top to create specular

highlight.



Vermeer used both impastos and thin glazes as he worked effectively to maintain control over his paintings. He used the best pigments and understood the

characteristics of the color. Under magnification it is visible how he achieved the effect of soft light and how it was represented in different surfaces.


Symbols & Meaning

The women’s calm and peaceful expressions and the blue robe bring back into our minds the images of the Virgin Mary.

In the Last Judgement Christ judges the souls below him and Saint Michael weights

the souls on the balance. The women’s head blocks the

scenery were Saint Michael weights the souls. Above the

women’s head is Christ in which reinforces the

interpretation that her dull act is parallel to the weighing of

the souls.

The meaning of the light is to denote supernatural events and

spiritual enlightenment.

The mirror in Vermeer’s painting

symbolizes vanity or self knowledge.

Pearls symbolize vanity and worldly concerns. It

can also represent purity.

The balance is a symbol of justice. Conveying the meaning: to judge is to

weigh. There is nothing in the pans and it almost

seem to be in equilibrium.


Vermeer’s BiographyJohannes Vermeer is an artist who was born in Delft in 1632 and died in 1675.

In April 1653 he married Catharina Bolnes and had eleven kids with her.

There is little known about when and where he got his artistic training and apprenticeship.

His first works were large in scale, mythological and religious paintings.

At a later time he began to paint genre scene such as landscape and allegories.

Vermeer has about thirty-five works, but were not well known.


SummaryThe purpose of this website is to give you an in-depth analysis of the painting Women Holding a Balance by the artist Johannes Vermeer; to get a better understanding of this piece of art. This website aided my understanding about this artwork by dividing the main points of the painting into different sections. One question I still have about this piece of art is, What era would this painting be part of? It did not state in the website, although I think it might be from the Renaissance period because of the use of light, a particular moment captured, the depiction of symbolism, etc. This website was very well structured with the different sections that divided important information about the painting. This helped me better understand the artwork.


References


http://www.nga.gov/podcasts/






Final project art ii

Documents

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