A New Tome Revisits Vermeer’s Works with New Insights About the Dutch Master’s Creative Process
Closer to Vermeer features 200 color reproductions of the artist's pieces, both beloved and lesser known
A new tome from publishing company Thames & Hudson, titled Closer to Vermeer, explores and analyzes new research made during and after the Rijksmuseum’s 2023 Vermeer exhibition, while also acting as a follow-up volume to Vermeer, the internationally bestselling book that accompanied the exhibit.
“As usual at the Rijksmuseum, the Vermeer exhibition was based on in-depth research,” Pieter Roelofs, one of the book’s editors and also the head of fine and decorative arts at the Rijksmuseum, tells Galerie. “It is great to see that the exhibition in turn generated new and multifaceted international research that is now brought together in Closer to Vermeer. We hope this book will inspire enthusiasts and professionals alike.”
Published in the U.S. this month, the 432-page hardcover book features 200 high-quality color reproductions of many of the Dutch master’s works, both beloved and lesser known. The tome, which comes 350 years after Johannes Vermeer’s death, boasts new insights about the famed artist’s creative process, painting techniques, and materials, while also diving into his ever-evolving fame and the meaning behind his creations.
One new revelation featured in the book involves Vemeer’s A Maid Asleep (circa 1657). Underneath the layers of paint is a faceless man, who researchers only recently learned through advanced X-ray may have been Vermeer himself at his easel. Another such revelation is that Vermeer painted subtle skin tones by mixing them with green-earth pigment, which was something that “no other Dutch artist at the time used.” Lastly, the aforementioned high-quality images in Closer to Vermeer reveal new details about some of the artist’s most famous works, including Girl With a Pearl Earring (circa 1665). In this particular painting, there is a noticeable similarity between the famed pearl and the catchlights in the eyes of the painting’s subject.
Other topics covered in Closer to Vermeer include the role of the camera obscura, the artist’s choice in materials, the maps in his interiors, and newly discovered documents about Vermeer’s patrons. The book was edited by various current and former staff members of Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, including research scientist Francesca Gabrieli, publisher Barbera van Kooij, paintings conservator Anna Krekeler, paintings research scientist Annelies van Loon, head of fine and decorative arts Pieter Roelofs, academic researcher Eddy Schavemaker, paintings conservator Ige Verslype, and the former head of fine and decorative arts Gregor J.M. Weber.
Closer to Vermeer gives both art historians and art lovers “a unique glimpse into Vermeer’s life and work, and serves as an essential reference for future research on the Dutch master.”