Travels in the Netherlands] (18) Vermeer's "View of Delft" at the Mauritshuis Museum
The city of Den Haag is less than 30 minutes by train from Delft, the city of Vermeer.
Here is the Mauritshuis Museum, where Vermeer's masterpieces "The View of Delft" and "Girl with a Pearl Earring" are on display.
I came to the Netherlands partly to see the city of Delft, but most of all to see my favorite "View of Delft" and Vermeer's most famous work, "Girl with a Pearl Earring.
Even the images and printed materials are overwhelmingly beautiful. How much more so if it were an original? My heart was filled with such expectations.
As the city of Den Haag is considered the de facto capital, government functions are located here. The city has also thrived as a capital since ancient times, and has quite a big city atmosphere compared to the small town of Delft.
This is the Mauritshuis Museum.
It has the atmosphere of a luxurious aristocratic mansion rather than an art museum.
Climbing the stairs immediately after entering the museum, I set out at once for Vermeer's room.
I was surprised that it was not too crowded, even though it is the centerpiece of this museum.
I was also able to see the "View of Delft," which I had been looking for. It seemed larger than I had imagined.
I can only say that this is as good as it gets. I had expected this, but the original is still very different. It is the ultimate in landscape painting.
And when I looked at the painting from up close, I saw that the dots of paint were physically pocked out.
Vermeer painted actual grains of light as grains. Vermeer's paintings were not flat, but physically three-dimensional. It is as if he had put a little bit of paint on the surface and made a small mountain. And when light shines on these grains of paint, it is as if the painting itself is glowing.
This is difficult to see in photocopies or images. It was only by viewing the original up close that one could see the three-dimensional effect.
The yellow wall that Proust praised in "In Search of Lost Time" also makes abundant use of this three-dimensional structure of light grains. The secret as to why this wall appears to shine so brightly is in its three-dimensional structure.
Another effect may be the use of darker colors in the buildings around this wall. It can be said that Vermeer's thorough study of the contrast of colors and the visibility of light is the reason for his mastery of the art.
Still, it's great...
I could not leave this painting for a while.
The beauty of the buildings and the surface of the water tends to attract the eye, but these clouds also add a nice touch. The presence of these clouds gives the painting an even greater sense of depth. And then there are the residents in the foreground. Although they are so small that from a distance they appear to be nothing more than dots, they have a strange presence. Their presence or absence would have made the painting look completely different in terms of its "compactness" or balance.
The shadows of buildings reflected on the surface of the water are magnificent. The depiction of light reflected on the surface of the water is nothing short of enchanting.
This way of depicting light may have something in common with the Impressionist Monet.(13) To the Marmottan Monet Museum to see the beginning of Impressionism, Monet's "Impression, Sunrise" - my favorite painting in Paris.I spoke about this in an article in the
When viewing the original "Impression, Sunrise," which marked the beginning of Impressionism, up close, it was clear that the paint was placed exactly as it was in three dimensions.
Of course, they are from different times, places, and cultures, but I was reminded of the very interesting connection between the two in terms of their exploration of light when I saw "The View from Delft.
In the next article, I would like to introduce another highlight of this museum, "The Girl with the Pearl Necklace.
be unbroken
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