Kenwood House Londres Inglaterra
OST - 53x46 - 1670-1672
The Guitar Player is an oil painting by Dutch Baroque artist Johannes
Vermeer (1632 - 1675), dated c. 1672. This work of art is one
of Vermeer's final artistic activities, providing insight into the techniques
he mastered and approaches to painting he favored. The painting has been on
display at Kenwood House, London since the 1920s, as
part of the Iveagh Bequest collection.
After being recovered from a theft in 1974, when the painting was held for
ransom, The Guitar Player was returned to Kenwood House.
Vermeer's artistic style in the 1670s is often compared to his
earlier style of the mid-1660s. The Guitar Player properly
demonstrates the energy of Vermeer's late style. His earlier paintings portray
quiet self-contained worlds, but The Guitar Player is different. His
late style demonstrated abstract painting techniques, in which the depiction of
motion is portrayed through the diffused illustration of shifting objects. With
Vermeer's experience, he began to create paintings that demonstrate dynamic
poses and actions, implying that a movement (or in this case, sound) is taking
place. The Guitar Player is often compared to Vermeer's, Woman with a
Lute.
The Guitar Player represents a new direction in Vermeer's
art. Because he developed and perfected compositional balance and harmony
during the 1660s, he was able to expand and paint scenes that show imbalance
and fluctuation. Vermeer's painting of The Guitar Player rejects
compositional balance and harmony, which contradicts his previous paintings. This
painting exhibits an unbalanced arrangement that depicts a lack of
compositional consistency, but also rejects the past instrument of the lute to
focus on the modern guitar. The rejection of the lute and depiction of the
guitar may be linked to Vermeer's compositional organization. Vermeer
painted the young guitar player far to the left, allowing the right half of the
paining to be covered in light and shadow. This imbalance gives the viewer a
sense of change and movement. The combination of an uneven arrangement
conjoined with a gleam of light coming from the right rather than the left,
forces the viewer to be engaged with the character and instrument in this
painting. The compositional arrangement is reinforced by Vermeer's
decision to specifically direct the light onto the guitar player, which helps
the viewer feel the impact of her presence. As a result of Vermeer's
decision to paint a single personality, a greater importance and focus is
placed on the instrument. The inclusion of a pastoral landscape, dark
curtains, three books, and a blue tablecloth provide a counterbalance to the
overriding composition displayed on the left of this artwork.
The late style of Vermeer utilized a number of painting
techniques, most of which suggest an abstract style. His fascination with
objects and actions that portray movement and sound are represented by an
approach to painting that establishes objects as diffused and illuminated. In
his painting, Vermeer integrated the use of abstraction through the strum of
the guitar strings and movement of the right hand. Because this painting
stayed with him until he died in 1675, we are to assume that this was his own
stylistic direction, and not a request of a patron.
In this painting, Vermeer depicts a young girl strumming a
guitar. The instrument is placed comfortably on her lap while she plays near a
window, sitting in the corner of a room. Her attire is made up of an ermine-bordered yellow
jacket, an ivory-colored satin dress, and
a pearl necklace. Surrounding
her is a painted pastoral landscape bordered by an extravagant picture frame, a
blank wall, three books, and a guitar. Prior to this painting, Vermeer
portrayed individuals with obscure expressions. On the contrary, this
young girl has an open expression that is joyous and flirtatious. The girl's
smile and tipped head, along with the fixed gaze on something just outside the
painting suggests that she is playing not for us, but for an unseen individual. Her
dress and hairstyle reflect the relevant fashions of the wealthy Dutch, in that
day.
The young girl is portrayed with wholesome features and a free
expression, as if she is in the act of speaking or singing. The joyous demeanor
established in this painting is conveyed through the young girl's self
expression, the peaceful landscape pictured behind her, and the soft tones of
light and dark. Due to these factors, Vermeer is able to provoke feelings of
calmness and contentment.
The morning jacket portrayed in this painting resembles five
separate Vermeer paintings, three of which are A Lady Writing a Letter, Mistress and
Maid, and Woman with a Pearl Necklace. In each
painting, the jacket depicts different types of folds, distribution of spots,
and fur trim. The thin patches of gray and yellow led-tin paint categorize
the abstract pattern that establishes the folds in the jackets fabric and fur
trim. Vermeer's devotion to painting light and shade can be acknowledged
through the inclusion of dark brown shadows painted on the young musicians
right arm and shoulder. From a distance these small patches seem blended,
but they are actually laying side-by-side. Historians conclude that the fur on
Vermeer's morning jacket was not made from ermine, but either cat, squirrel,
or mouse.
The fur was then decorated with faux spots. The
jacket in The Guitar Player is one of the few surviving examples of
17th century overcoats.
The depiction of a satin dress implies a life of luxury. The
young girls gown is presumed to be starched satin. In order for the
dress to appear heavy and shimmery, the material was stiffened with starch and
then ironed. The act of painting fine materials such as satin, took time and
talent. In order to realistically represent luxurious materials, the artist had
to be capable of depicting small details that are established in the folds and
patterns of the dress. In order to complete such a task, the artist would often
set up a life-sized wooden manikin and dress it in the fine garments requested.
Vermeer's depiction of a pearl necklace alludes to the young
girls elegant lifestyle. In this work he used an abstract technique to
portray the pearl necklace, which was replicated his painting, Allegory of
Faith. To begin, he painted a base layer of dark greenish gray that curved
around her neck, in order to depict a shadow. Over the shadow, he created
a hazy sequence of white spherical highlights. The individual pearls were not
defined, in order to portray the natural translucence of the gemstone.
Compared to his paintings in the mid-1660s, Vermeer simplified and dismissed
intense detail for abstracted portrayals. This shows an outgrowth of his
own style, along with a technique that was not frequented by artists of his
time.
Vermeer's depiction of a young girl making music is associated
with the nobility found in artistic inspiration, as well as the art of painting
in the seventeenth century. The guitar originated in Spain, and was keenly sought after in the Dutch
Republic. Compared to the lute, the guitar was cheaper and
easier to play. This instrument has been decorated with a combination
of ivory, ebony, tortoiseshell,
and mother-of-pearl.
The soundhole is created with multiple layers of ornately scrolled paper. In
the seventeenth century, the guitar was used as both a continuo (harmonic)
instrument, and a solo instrument. The music the guitar produces is bolder
than that of the lute, and this is due to the design of the cords. The guitars
strings reverberate deeper and fuller than that of past instruments. It
does not play as loud as the modern flamenco
guitar, and the gut strings are
played with fingers. This painting depicts a five-course
guitar, which was standard for most solo musicians.
Vermeer's depiction of a guitar suggests a move into the modern
world of music, in which the lute is left behind with its contemplative and
conservative traditions. The depiction of this guitar was created with immense
attention to detail. The sound hole is created with a depiction of a finely
tooled gold rose, where Vermeer has created an abstract arrangement of painted
strokes. These strokes are highlighted with hazy accents of lead-tin yellow
paint. The decorative white and black trim of the guitars border
intensifies the painting's cheerful atmosphere. The small detailed sound
hole was created with blobs of impasto paint,
which portrays the light reflecting across its slick uneven surface. The most
influential and well thought out technique Vermeer used in this painting
focusses on the guitar's strings. Some of the strings are blurred, this
suggests that they have been strummed and are vibrating. Because of this,
we can assume she is in the midst of playing a song.
Vermeer's picture-within-a-picture was identified by art
historian Gregor Weber. The landscape that is depicted behind the young
girls head is identified with Pieter Jansz's, A Wooded Landscape
with a Gentleman and Dogs in the Foreground. In Vermeer's version, the
mimicked composition is cropped slightly on top, and on the right. The head of
the young musician covers the gentleman and dogs. Vermeer's version guides
the viewers focus towards the centered tree, as well as incorporating blue
skies and greener foliage.
Vermeer may have incorporated this sun-filled pastoral
landscape into his painting in reference to woman's beauty. Artists in the
seventeenth century were often attributing the topic of female beauty to
nature, which was frequently expressed through poetry and music.
Vermeer's depiction of a whitewashed wall
allowed him to set the stage for a scene that illustrates an individual
strumming a guitar composed on the left side of the canvas. The painting's
composition is balanced due to the large negative space the wall creates. The
unobtrusive wall helps establish the mood of the painting, as well as the
lighting scheme and spatial depth. Because of the wall's color, Vermeer
was able to establish a warm and welcoming temperature from the incoming light.
Vermeer's brushwork also implies the lights direction.
According to the Delft building
historian Wim Weeve, the use of whitewashed walls was frequently integrated in
the houses, castles, and churches of the Dutch in the Middle Ages. The
beginning process of whitewashing a wall starts with a thick application of
lime putty, which is created with burned seashells. When the putty dries, and
the wall is thick enough, then the process of whitewashing with paint can
begin.
Although unrecognizable to the untrained eye, this wooden chair
is portrayed several times through Vermeer's artistic career. At the top left
hand side of the painting, behind her shoulder, a silhouette of a lion
head finial can
be found. This finial references chairs designed and crafted by the
Spanish. When constructing this chair, the Spanish craftsman used leather and
not cloth. This is due to Spains constant supply of rawhide. These chairs
were respected for their craftsmanship and creativity, and the creators of
these chairs regarded themselves as superior within the craftsman guilds.
Vermeer's decision to depict three books suggests the young
girls sophistication, which is implied through a high level of education. Even
though scholars do not know the book titles, it has been argued that the middle
book's bulkiness resembles the Bible. With that being
said, it was stated that the possible representation of the Bible implies
biblical advice. If this is true, then the painting could indicate a decision
to morally ignore the religious text. The young girl's body language and facial
expression turn away from the book, in order to pay attention to the individual
on her right. Others argue that the presence of the book imply learning, which
is very familiar in Dutch paintings in the Middle Ages.
According to scholar Elise Goodman, the young musician featured in this
painting is a member of the haute bourgeoisie. Members of haute
bourgeoisie could read, write, and speak several languages.
After Vermeer's death in 1675, the painting stayed in Delft in the hands of
Maria de Knuijt, his widow. In 1682, Maria gave the painting to their daughter,
Magdalena van Ruijven. After Magdalena's death, the painting was passed on
to her widower, Jacob Abrahamsz Dissius, in 1695. On the 16th of May, 1696, the
painting was auctioned off at a Dissius sale in Amsterdam.
From 1794 to 1802, The Guitar Player was in the hands of Henry Temple, 2nd Viscount Palmerston,
in London. From
the dates of 1802 to 1865, the painting was owned by Temple's son, Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount
Palmerston. Eventually, the painting was in the ownership of
John Temple's step-son, William Francis Cowper-Temple, 1st
Baron Mount Temple, from 1865 - 1888. In 1888, his step son,
Evelyn Melbourne Ashley, sold the painting to Thomas Agnew and Sons, in London. Between
the dates of 1888 and 1889, the painting was sold by the Agnews to Edward Guinness. From
the dates of 1889 to 1927, the painting was in the hands of Edward Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh,
in London.
In 2012, Kenwood House closed for renovations. While
construction was taking place, the painting was on display in the National
Gallery, beside the visiting galley's own two Vermeer's. In
2013, The painting was returned in late December when construction was over. The
Guitar Player is currently on display in the Kenwood House in London,
as part of the Iveagh Bequest collection.
On February 23, 1974, the painting was stolen from Kenwood House and
held for a ransom. The deal was to deliver and distribute over $1 million (US)
dollars in food to the Caribbean island of Grenada,
or the painting would be destroyed. Following the threat, a small strip of
the painting was sent to The Times in London, along with another
demand that requested the Irish Republican sisters Marian and Dolours Price be
allowed to serve their prison sentences near their homes in Northern
Ireland. It was recovered by Scotland Yard in
the cemetery of St Bartholomew-the-Great, in London's
financial district, on May 7, 1974. Although the painting showed signs of
dampness, it was otherwise undamaged.
A period copy, A Lady Playing the Guitar, is in the
collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
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