Jan Vermeer, a much loved Dutch painter today, was in fact an unknown until a French art critic published an essay about him in the mid-nineteenth century.   Even today, very little is known about the painter from Delft except that he died at a relatively young age leaving behind his wife, 11 children and a large debt.

This movie is based on a fictional account of Jan Vermeer’s life between the years 1664-1667.   Tracy Chevalier, author of the book on which the film is based, focused on the later years of his work because the painting the “Girl with a Pearl Earring” is thought to have been produced during this period.

The movie, not unlike the book, explores the relationship between a young maid and Vermeer.   It is a love story bound by social class, religion and the strict moral code and conduct of the era.   The story is told in the first person narrative with Griet, the young maid, at the very centre of the evolving drama.

The movie is spectacular on many different levels.   For many who have seen images of Vermeer’s works, one would be automatically drawn to the cinematography.   The composition, colour and light of some of the scenes often bring to mind images of his works.   It is almost like a movie with stills of his genre paintings that can be seen hanging in the finest museums around Europe and North America.

Particularly compelling is the tightness of the plot and the subtlety of the acting.   Griet, played by Scarlett Johanssen, is a model of restraint and innocence and Jan Vermeer, played by Colin Firth, depicts a fastidious and meticulous man who closely guarded his passion for light and reality as he sought to be true to his calling in life.

The movie is available in the Art, Design and Media Library (ADM Library).
Call number: PS3553.H4367G525

The book is available in the Humanities & Social Sciences Library (HSS Library).
Call number: PS3553.H4367G525