Art History and appreciation

ART HISTORY AND APPRECIATION

Art History and Appreciation

Name

School

Professor

Subject

Art History And Appreciation : Vermeer 's Woman Holding a Balance

of the Subject Matter

The Woman Holding a Balance ' painted by Johannes Vermeer around c 1662- 1665 which portrays a beautiful woman gently holding a balance Recently it has been also called as the Goldweigher ' or Girl Weighing Pearls ' as many assumed that the woman was weighing gold or pearls . The artist inspiration for the painting was derived from well established iconographic traditions and consequently

from the influence of fellow genre painters . The Goldweigher ' by Pieter de Hoogh for example have close resemblance to Vermeer 's work . Vermeer 's scholars believed that the model in the painting was perhaps the most beautiful of his models . The lady appears to be pregnant but some believed it was an illusion brought the garments of padded and bulky skirts which were a Dutch fashion in the mid-17th . Some Vermeer scholars believe that Vermeer 's wife Catharina posed more than once and may be a candidate for this picture or could be other close family members that could pose for long hours as subject for the painting

Analysis of Composition

The Woman Holding a Balance ' featured Vermeer 's subtle compositional refinement . It effectively displays the coordination of the theme and emotional setting of the painting . The geometry of shapes and design was pervasive yet unobtrusive . The interplay of verticals and horizontals against the diagonals , mass against void and light against darkness...