Great; thanks! Perhaps the Mostaert is the earliest known portrait painting, but it isn't the earliest painting or the earliest representation. I'll be in Vienna later this spring. I wonder if the Albertina would let me see Dürer's sketh of an African man? Perhaps it's on display, even. I shall investigate... I think I've seen Dürer's sketch of an African woman on exhibit somewhere... perhaps even at the Uffizi years ago.
Actually, you're comments are disturbing...clearly NOT a Vermeer fan, why trash the exhibit? Maybe your understanding of 17th century Dutch art needs re-examination.
Thanks for this Surekha - it certainly suggests a disconnect between the need to monetise art around a singular figure and the complexity of its production. There was a small Vermeer exhibition (V and the Masters of Genre) in 2017 which placed his work amongst that of his contemporaries, showing how importance genre was in his paintings. Fascinated by the Mostaert paintings but worth noting too that this exhibition is also on https://www.rijksmuseumtwenthe.nl/rubriek/3433/en/sofonisba-anguissola
Thanks so much for the Sofonisba Anguissola exhibition link! This looks fab.
Yes, the seemed to be a disconnect - perhaps an unnecessary one. I'm a both/and person rather than an either/or person - I like to think that a museum can have a show about a famous person, make money through tickets, and share broad and new perspectives on artworks (their mission of education). "Biggest Vermeer show ever" and "new ideas/questions/themes/other artworks to help you think further about Vermeer" aren't mutually exclusive.
What a disturbing and, frankly, dismissive essay of sorts. Your sense of esthetic superiority is odious. Why write about something or someone who clearly bores you? Most of us would do anything to get to experience the Vermeer exhibit. You deigned to do us a favor and go in our stead. How about finding something you like and adding some positivity to the world?
Thank you for your candid and enlightening report on the Vermeer exhibition. Your description of the experience confirmed what I imagined it might be - crowds, shuffling, hype, disappointment - and has relieved me of the Fear Of Missing Out that up until your post, had lingered in my mind.
Your comment about the benefits of enjoying the paintings where they reside in the permanent collections of their owners is one I appreciated. I'm fortunate to be able to visit the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC and enjoy "Woman holding a balance" and "A Lady Writing" in the relatively quiet gallery in which they usually hang. Thanks again for sharing your museum visit!
Thanks so much - I was hoping that this newsletter would indeed address Fear of Missing Out and encourage folks to wander into their local museums and permanent galleries, too. I used to live in DC and it was a fantastic place for art - including the National Gallery for Netherlandish art! I was in DC last month, and wrote a bit about some exhibits I loved seeing there a couple of newsletters ago.
The highbrow snobbery of your critique of the Vermeer show is truly nauseating, and please no more 60 word run-on sentences. You should have stayed home and kept you overly scholarly comments to yourself.
I totally agree with the comments that find the essay overly negative, condescending, and ungenerous. I am happy that you have "transcended the academy," there is nothing that prevents the combination of expertise and a decent appreciation of the gargantuan effort that gave rise to this once-in-a lifetime exhibit.
I happened to be visiting my sister in Holland when the exhibition first opened and I was lucky enough to be able to book tickets. I went with my nephew and daughter. We all thoroughly enjoyed the paintings, the setting, the explanations, the commentary on the website, the whole thing -even my 7yo daughter. In my opinion it was extremely well-curated. All my other relatives and friends who saw it also thoroughly enjoyed it. I want to say a huge thank you to the Rijksmuseum for making it happen.
I'm glad I didn't read your critique before I went. It might have put me off booking tickets. As it was, this will stand out as one of the most enjoyable experiences of art in my life.
I also went to the regular permanent exhibits but the Vermeer stands out for me.
And now we have the hot take of a philistine. Can not believe that someone would dismiss early Vermeer with the willful ignorance of Beevis and Butthead
I was really impressed by this review, by noting how the individual genius is a myth, and work has to be placed within a social context. It made me feel less lonely, to note that I have always had found Vermeer over determined, and not as interesting, as other dutch painters of the time--I wonder an essay about light, and about the interior/exterior in Vermeer compared to people like Pieter Saenredam or Metsu... (i am sorry that you getting the comments here which preclude careful looking, difficult nuance, and ambvilance as a a way of looking, and assumption that this kind of reading should be automatically placed in a binary--a pan or a rave and nothing in b/w
Glad to hear that this review was helpful. I did originally imagine an essay that brought this show together with a couple of others, including one on Jacobus Vrel (a forerunner of Vermeer). Ultimately, there wasn't enough space for that version. I'd like to keep individual newsletters to around 1,000 words, and this one came out much longer very quickly. And yes, an essay or exhibition about light across Netherlandish art would be fascinating.
I completely disagree about the Vermeer show. I thought it was great. Although being from California any old master like Vermeer is greatly appreciated as we don’t have many or any at all available to see in museums nearby. My friend and I went at night, we came earlier than we were supposed too, and it was not crowded at all. I do admit there were a lot of people taking selfies in front of the painting “The Girl with the Pearl Earring”. That was annoying and a direct correlation between the movie and the selfies.
I just saw the Vermeer exhibit earlier last week and went to the Van Gogh Museum two days later. While the Vermeer exhibit gave me a glimpse into Dutch upper middle class domesticity and how Vermeer's art world worked, I found myself more engaged in the Van Gogh exhibits. The Van Gogh Museum was more successful in walking me through Van Gogh's journey as a painter and a person - showing the progression of his technique, looking into his psyche, and the surveying the influences of his family, friends, and artist contemporaries.
That's fascinating! I too went to the Van Gogh Museum - at the end of the same day, since it was open later. This was my experience as well. Even though I had been in the Van Gogh a few times over the years, the way the labels tell his story and that of the paintings (and how his circle engaged with him and his paintings) moves me every time.
The Mostaert painting seems to be considered the earliest European painted portrait of a man of African descent, but the Rijksmuseum previously showed it alongside an earlier sketched portrait by Dürer: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/sep/28/earliest-european-portraits-of-african-men-on-show-together-for-first-time-durer-mostaert-rijksmuseum-amsterdam. Dürer also sketched an African woman during his visit to the Low Countries in 1520-1521: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Albrecht_D%C3%BCrer_-_The_Negress_Katherina_-_WGA07097.jpg. I hear you on the peculiarities of jam-packed crowds trying to appreciate rather small domestic-themed works of art, though!
Great; thanks! Perhaps the Mostaert is the earliest known portrait painting, but it isn't the earliest painting or the earliest representation. I'll be in Vienna later this spring. I wonder if the Albertina would let me see Dürer's sketh of an African man? Perhaps it's on display, even. I shall investigate... I think I've seen Dürer's sketch of an African woman on exhibit somewhere... perhaps even at the Uffizi years ago.
Oh, have a great trip to Vienna! I only made it to the libraries & art museum during grad school visits, but finally saw the globes museum when I was there in 2017. I'm guessing you're already familiar with this book series? https://www.hup.harvard.edu/features/the-image-of-the-black-in-western-art/volumes.html
Actually, you're comments are disturbing...clearly NOT a Vermeer fan, why trash the exhibit? Maybe your understanding of 17th century Dutch art needs re-examination.
Thanks for this Surekha - it certainly suggests a disconnect between the need to monetise art around a singular figure and the complexity of its production. There was a small Vermeer exhibition (V and the Masters of Genre) in 2017 which placed his work amongst that of his contemporaries, showing how importance genre was in his paintings. Fascinated by the Mostaert paintings but worth noting too that this exhibition is also on https://www.rijksmuseumtwenthe.nl/rubriek/3433/en/sofonisba-anguissola
Thanks so much for the Sofonisba Anguissola exhibition link! This looks fab.
Yes, the seemed to be a disconnect - perhaps an unnecessary one. I'm a both/and person rather than an either/or person - I like to think that a museum can have a show about a famous person, make money through tickets, and share broad and new perspectives on artworks (their mission of education). "Biggest Vermeer show ever" and "new ideas/questions/themes/other artworks to help you think further about Vermeer" aren't mutually exclusive.
I suppose you will come out of museum for dedicated painters like Dali, Picasso, van Gough, etc with the same impression... Lol
What a disturbing and, frankly, dismissive essay of sorts. Your sense of esthetic superiority is odious. Why write about something or someone who clearly bores you? Most of us would do anything to get to experience the Vermeer exhibit. You deigned to do us a favor and go in our stead. How about finding something you like and adding some positivity to the world?
Thank you for your candid and enlightening report on the Vermeer exhibition. Your description of the experience confirmed what I imagined it might be - crowds, shuffling, hype, disappointment - and has relieved me of the Fear Of Missing Out that up until your post, had lingered in my mind.
Your comment about the benefits of enjoying the paintings where they reside in the permanent collections of their owners is one I appreciated. I'm fortunate to be able to visit the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC and enjoy "Woman holding a balance" and "A Lady Writing" in the relatively quiet gallery in which they usually hang. Thanks again for sharing your museum visit!
Thanks so much - I was hoping that this newsletter would indeed address Fear of Missing Out and encourage folks to wander into their local museums and permanent galleries, too. I used to live in DC and it was a fantastic place for art - including the National Gallery for Netherlandish art! I was in DC last month, and wrote a bit about some exhibits I loved seeing there a couple of newsletters ago.
The highbrow snobbery of your critique of the Vermeer show is truly nauseating, and please no more 60 word run-on sentences. You should have stayed home and kept you overly scholarly comments to yourself.
I totally agree with the comments that find the essay overly negative, condescending, and ungenerous. I am happy that you have "transcended the academy," there is nothing that prevents the combination of expertise and a decent appreciation of the gargantuan effort that gave rise to this once-in-a lifetime exhibit.
I happened to be visiting my sister in Holland when the exhibition first opened and I was lucky enough to be able to book tickets. I went with my nephew and daughter. We all thoroughly enjoyed the paintings, the setting, the explanations, the commentary on the website, the whole thing -even my 7yo daughter. In my opinion it was extremely well-curated. All my other relatives and friends who saw it also thoroughly enjoyed it. I want to say a huge thank you to the Rijksmuseum for making it happen.
I'm glad I didn't read your critique before I went. It might have put me off booking tickets. As it was, this will stand out as one of the most enjoyable experiences of art in my life.
I also went to the regular permanent exhibits but the Vermeer stands out for me.
We all have different tastes and opinions.
Very glad you all had an excellent experience!
And now we have the hot take of a philistine. Can not believe that someone would dismiss early Vermeer with the willful ignorance of Beevis and Butthead
I was really impressed by this review, by noting how the individual genius is a myth, and work has to be placed within a social context. It made me feel less lonely, to note that I have always had found Vermeer over determined, and not as interesting, as other dutch painters of the time--I wonder an essay about light, and about the interior/exterior in Vermeer compared to people like Pieter Saenredam or Metsu... (i am sorry that you getting the comments here which preclude careful looking, difficult nuance, and ambvilance as a a way of looking, and assumption that this kind of reading should be automatically placed in a binary--a pan or a rave and nothing in b/w
Glad to hear that this review was helpful. I did originally imagine an essay that brought this show together with a couple of others, including one on Jacobus Vrel (a forerunner of Vermeer). Ultimately, there wasn't enough space for that version. I'd like to keep individual newsletters to around 1,000 words, and this one came out much longer very quickly. And yes, an essay or exhibition about light across Netherlandish art would be fascinating.
I completely disagree about the Vermeer show. I thought it was great. Although being from California any old master like Vermeer is greatly appreciated as we don’t have many or any at all available to see in museums nearby. My friend and I went at night, we came earlier than we were supposed too, and it was not crowded at all. I do admit there were a lot of people taking selfies in front of the painting “The Girl with the Pearl Earring”. That was annoying and a direct correlation between the movie and the selfies.
It's great that you had such an excellent experience! My 1pm slot was perhaps the most popular time of day.
I just saw the Vermeer exhibit earlier last week and went to the Van Gogh Museum two days later. While the Vermeer exhibit gave me a glimpse into Dutch upper middle class domesticity and how Vermeer's art world worked, I found myself more engaged in the Van Gogh exhibits. The Van Gogh Museum was more successful in walking me through Van Gogh's journey as a painter and a person - showing the progression of his technique, looking into his psyche, and the surveying the influences of his family, friends, and artist contemporaries.
That's fascinating! I too went to the Van Gogh Museum - at the end of the same day, since it was open later. This was my experience as well. Even though I had been in the Van Gogh a few times over the years, the way the labels tell his story and that of the paintings (and how his circle engaged with him and his paintings) moves me every time.