Vermeer and the Dutch Golden Age

Details

When: Wednesdays Dec 6 – 20 9:30 am – 11:30 am

Where: The Hampton Inn

Cost: $99.00 for 3 session(s)

Type: In Person

Category:

• Humanities Courses
• Literature

Instructor: Kevin Justus , received his Ph.D. in Art History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Kevin Justus

The World Reflected in the Detail of a Pearl Earring. Placing Vermeer in the Dutch Golden Age

How can one not love Vermeer? The phenomenal response to the Vermeer Exhibition demonstrates the overwhelming fascination with a painter who was reclusive, modest, and not very prolific.  (Unlike Frans Hals or Rembrandt) Vermeer has challenged, entranced and plagued scholars for years.  What is his biography?  How did he paint?  Did he work alone? How many paintings did he paint? And most importantly, what do his works mean? Is there one interpretation or is there many? This series will look at the remarkable beauty of Vermeer’s work and seek to investigate these issues, looking closely at the details,  and perhaps come to some conclusions… or not.

1. Setting the Stage—the Holland of Vermeer.  How does one survive in a free market with so many competitors?
2. Early Vermeer:  In the Shadow of Rembrandt, Halls, and numerous Others.  How does one make oneself unique?
3.  Mature Vermeer and the Creation of a Niche.  Microcosm becomes Macrocosm:   The culmination of a Northern Tradition married to a remarkable sensitivity to the world of Women.