Tip: move over the painting to use the lens.

Girl with a Pearl Earring

Artist: Johannes Vermeer
Date: 1665
Where to see it: Mauritshuis

Mauritshuis · Public domain · image via Wikimedia Commons · see it at the museum ↗

Slow Look

The whole picture Let your eyes wander. Where do they want to rest?
The light Find the brightest spot. What is it showing you?
The edges Look at what is half cut off at the borders.
One small detail Choose one tiny thing and stay with it for a while.
The whole picture again Step back. Has it changed for you?

About Johannes Vermeer

Johannes Vermeer was a Dutch painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life. He is considered one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age. During his lifetime, he was a moderately successful provincial genre painter, recognized in Delft and The Hague. He produced relatively few paintings, primarily earning his living as an art dealer. He was not wealthy; at his death, his wife was left in debt.

Painter profile →