Vermeer

Vermeer, the Painter of Light and the Scientific Revolution

Arata Hirakawa, "Warring States Japan and the Age of Exploration" - Why Japan did not become a colony of Portugal or the Anglo-Dutch East India Company

In the 16th and 17th centuries, England and the Netherlands were newly emerging while Spain and Portugal were dominating the seas of America and Asia.

There is no way that these four powers did not have their sights set on Japan. While Asian countries were being dominated by them one after another, somehow Japan was the only country that did not succumb to them. How was this possible? That is what this book tells us. To be honest, I was very surprised when I read this book. It changed my view of Japan.
Vermeer, the Painter of Light and the Scientific Revolution

List of recommended Vermeer commentary books - To enjoy the wonderful world of paintings by Vermeer, the painter of light.

Vermeer is a 17th century Dutch painter famous for "Girl with a Pearl Necklace" and "Woman Pouring Milk.

In this article, we will provide a comprehensive list of recommended commentaries on Vermeer that we have introduced on our blog so far.

All of them are very interesting books that we can confidently recommend. We hope that we have been of some help to you in your appreciation of Vermeer.
Vermeer, the Painter of Light and the Scientific Revolution

Tadashi Haneda, The World History of Rise and Fall, Volume 15: The East India Company and the Sea of Asia, The Source of 17th Century Dutch Prosperity in Vermeer's Life

I picked up the book when I learned that Vermeer's paintings had a strong connection to the prosperity of the Dutch East India Company!

If this is the case, then we can learn more about the background of Vermeer's paintings by learning more about the East India Company. Furthermore, by learning more about the East India Company, I could learn not only about Vermeer, but also about the world situation and Japan at that time. This is how I came to feel.

Then I started reading "The World History of Rise and Fall Volume 15: The East India Company and the Asian Seas". This was another good book! Interesting! I recommend it!
Vermeer, the Painter of Light and the Scientific Revolution

Timothy Brook, "Vermeer's Hat" - What is Dutch painting in the context of the Western "East India Company" and trade with China, Japan and Asia?

The Netherlands in the 17th century, when Vermeer lived, enjoyed a golden age thanks to the prosperity of the East India Company, which was established in 1602.

It was because of his vast fortune and the global marketplace that Vermeer's paintings were able to be Vermeer's paintings.

And the numerous "things" in Vermeer's paintings came precisely from China and Asia. By focusing on these "things," we can get an overview of the global world of the 17th century.

That is the general flow of the book.
Vermeer, the Painter of Light and the Scientific Revolution

Kozo Okabe, "Illustrated Guidebook to Hieronymus Bosch," a recommended guidebook for learning about the genius painter of the same generation as da Vinci!

Hieronymus Bosch was a painter who lived at about the same time as Leonardo da Vinci, and who established a unique position even in the heyday of the Renaissance.

This book is a recommended guidebook that also provides explanations and historical background of the bosses who painted such strange pictures. I appreciate the many zooms of the photos and paintings, which allow you to learn visually.

Boss's mysterious view of the world is simply astonishing. It is also very enjoyable to savor a world of paintings that is different from da Vinci's. I highly recommend this introductory book.
Vermeer, the Painter of Light and the Scientific Revolution

G. Schwarz, "Vermeer's World: A Story of Tranquility Traced in Enlarged Plans" - A recommended guidebook to appreciate the finest details!

If you read it, I am sure you will be surprised. You will be astonished to see how Vermeer painted like this. You will feel once again what a monster Vermeer was. It's too amazing. After reading this book, I wonder how Vermeer's original paintings will look like when I see them. I think it will be so different from how I see it.

This is a highly recommended work. I highly recommend that you pick it up.
Emile Zola, the blog author's favorite author.

Kimiko Shinseki, "Cézanne and Zola: Their Art and Friendship" - A recommended work that examines whether his best friend Cézanne Zola really abstained!

In this book, the author, who has a deep knowledge of Zola and Cézanne, examines whether Zola and Cézanne, who were close friends, really had an abortive relationship.

This book will tell you some amazing facts about it. I was also astonished when I read this book.

I would highly recommend this work to anyone interested in Impressionist paintings and Zola's novels. It is a wonderful work that connects Impressionism and Zola.
A Taste of Goethe, Germany's Great Poet

Goethe's "Theory of Color" - Goethe, the all-powerful poet, was also a student of light! Consider the connection with Vermeer, the painter of light.

I knew that Goethe was not only a poet, but also a talented official and scientist, thanks to the biography "Goethe: His Life and Works" by A. Birschowski, but learning about Vermeer this time finally connected Vermeer and Goethe.

The unexpected connection between my favorite Goethe and Vermeer was a pleasant discovery for me.
Vermeer, the Painter of Light and the Scientific Revolution

Ichiro Fujita, "The 3D World Created by the Brain: The Mystery and Mechanism of Stereoscopic Vision," a look at how advanced the technology is in Vermeer's realistic paintings.

When it comes to painting, we tend to think simply, "Just paint the picture as it is," but this is an incredible technology. To begin with, the 3D world is projected in 2D by the retina, reconstructed in 3D by the brain, and then drawn as a 3D picture on a 2D flat surface, so it is not just "as it is. This is not just "as it is," but an incredible amount of information processing is taking place.

It may seem obvious, but reading this book made me think again about the mechanism of the eye.
The Italian Renaissance and the Revolution of Knowledge

W. Isaacson's "Leonardo da Vinci" - To be made into a movie! Recommended biography to get to know the human da Vinci!

ダ・ヴィンチがある種の巨大な才能を持っていたことは確かです。ですがだからといって私たちが彼を圧倒的な超人として遠ざけてしまっては大切なことを見逃してしまうことになります。私達はダ・ヴィンチから学ぶことができる。私たちも彼に習ってできることがあるのではないか。

そのような立場から著者はダ・ヴィンチを論じていきます。スティーブ・ジョブズの伝記を書いたアイザックソンらしい非常に刺激的な一冊でした。