What is the mystery behind the curtain in Vermeer's painting "A Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window"

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Jan Vermeer is an artist from the Netherlands, a master of genre portraiture and everyday painting. Almost nothing is known about his life, most of his biography is based on assumptions. To date, only about 40 of the master's works have survived. Vermeer's work "A Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window" deserves special attention, which is associated with an extremely curious story.

Art critics unanimously call Vermeer one of the greatest masters of the golden age of Dutch art. The closest paintings to us that arose in the 17th century in Holland are associated with the name of Jan Vermeer. He liked to portray half-figures (mostly women), not full-length figures, part of the room, not the whole room. But what distinguishes him is - and this is the most significant - that his paintings are sustained not in the then usual golden tones, but light, cool silver. The palette is dominated by blue and pale yellow colors. This particular color concept makes Vermeer extremely attractive and special. Never before has the materiality of things been conveyed on canvas with such charm. Vermeer's work "A Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window" deserves special attention, which is associated with an extremely curious story.

History of the painting

"A Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window" is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jan Vermeer. The painting was completed around 1657-59. The authorship of the canvas has been disputed for many years. In 1742 August III of Poland, Elector of Saxony, acquired the painting, mistakenly believing that it was painted by Rembrandt. In 1826 it was again mistakenly attributed to Peter de Hooke. It was only possible to properly identify the work in 1880, when the French art critic Théophile Toret-Burger found the canvas and, having examined it, recognized it as one of the rare works of the Dutch artist and restored the true authorship.

Interior and plot of the painting

Vermeer's work depicts a young Dutch woman with blond hair reading a letter by an open window. The author depicted her in profile. The interior is designed in the spirit of all the works of Jan Vermeer. This is an image of a part of the room with the favorite elements of the Dutch master: blackout curtains (usually painted blue or red) and a thick bedspread on the table (this is a tablecloth resembling an oriental carpet in its design). In this work, both the curtain and the bedspread are of a dark wine color. The carpet is masterfully written, attracting all the attention of the viewer! Technically, its ornaments, gold and blue patterns are meticulously rendered. In the upper part of the picture, we see a cornice in the entire width of the canvas, on which hangs a curtain in dark olive tones. It is decorated with tassels with golden splashes. It is impossible not to catch the glitter of golden colors on the curtain and carpet. Sheer "Vermeer" charm of textures! Golden threads also adorn the heroine's black dress. This is the daughter of the mistress of the house. A young girl, fully and completely concentrated on reading the letter that is important to her. There is silence around her. The thoughts are solely the content of the letter.

Her head is adorned with a modest bun with graceful golden curls flowing over the dress. Her ruddy face is reflected in the stained glass window of the room. On the carpet, we see a saucer with fruit, which is slightly overturned, and some of the fruit fell on the bedspread. These are peaches and apples. Vermeer often drew inspiration from the compositions of other artists, including those from his native Delft. We can assume that before he wrote "The Girl Reading a Letter by the Open Window," Vermeer saw a painting by Gillis Gillisson de Berg, a master of still lifes in which fruit predominated. And his "Still Life" is extremely reminiscent of Vermeer's still life.

Symbolism

The symbolism in Vermeer's painting is almost always associated with the elements on the table and the interior. For example, the table is decorated with peaches, which have long been considered attributes of salvation and truth. And in the heroine's hand we see a letter … If we connect these two symbols, then, it is quite possible that the plot is like this - the girl received a letter from her lover, in which she learned about his sincere (true) feelings for her. Is she happy with the letter or saddened by its contents? It's hard to guess. Art critic Norbert Schneider, in his work on Vermeer, points out that a peach with a stone in the foreground is a symbol of extramarital affairs. Hence, the letter is either the beginning or the continuation of the novel. An open window is a girl's desire to break free, change, find freedom.

It is difficult to talk about the symbolism of the carpet. Since the carpet in a 17th century Dutch painting could have been present for only one reason - to prove the hero's solid status and well-being. In this era, Persian carpets cost unrealistic money, as they were delivered to the rugs from the most remote corners of the Ottoman Empire. Oriental rugs were one of the many exotic imports that the 17th century Dutch were very fond of. Therefore, the presence of a real "Persian" or "Turk" in the house meant the unheard-of wealth of its owner.

Curious detail behind the green curtain

There is one more curious detail that proves the romantic overtones of the picture. She hides … behind a green curtain. Indeed, what is his purpose in the picture? The red carpet resonates beautifully with the red curtain. What role does the green curtain play? The fact is that the x-rays on the canvas showed that Vermeer originally painted the image of Cupid in the painting. Once this putto looked at the audience in the upper right corner, behind the curtain, and later, for some unknown reason, someone painted over the angel and painted the curtain in its place. One thing is certain - this is not a Vermeer correction.

This repainting, which is now being restored by restorers, took place already in the 18th century. Perhaps the reason why it was painted over may be hiding in the romantic nature of the painting. Probably, the customer, who wanted to buy the canvas, was not satisfied with such a frank (for the foundations of that era) scene, so it was decided to paint over it. Cupid would clearly have made it clear that the content of the young woman's letter was of a love nature. The version that we have the opportunity to contemplate today does not in the least detract from the dignity and talent of the great Jan Vermeer of Delft. And the stories with adjustments only fuel the general interest in the canvas, which is good news.