Jan Vermeer
c. 1665-1667
As one who loves both good poetry and fine paintings, it was a great pleasure to recently discover Howard Nemerov's insightful poem on the great Dutch painter Jan Vermeer (1632-1675). Having died at the early age of only forty-two, Vermeer did not produce a great volume of paintings. The ones that have been preserved, however, are generally extraordinary.
While I'm drawn to Vermeer's paintings for several reasons, I will mention only the most important here, namely, his extraordinary understanding and treatment of light. It is one thing to see the transformational power of light coming from a certain angle; it's quite another thing to be able to capture it on canvas. In this respect, Vermeer is rightly considered an absolute master.
Below are five Vermeer paintings that provided some of the inspiration for Nemerov's fine poem. If you look closely at each of these paintings, especially at the use of light to define the moods of the characters and the scenes, I think you find a special resonance in the poem.
The Geographer
Jan Vermeer
c. 1668-1669
Girl With a Red Hat
Jan Vermeer
c. 1665-1667
Woman in Blue Reading Letter
Jan Vermeer
c. 1662-1665
Woman Holding a Balance
Jan Vermeer
c. 1622-1665
Vermeer
by Howard Nemerov
Taking what is, and seeing it as it is,
Pretending to no heroic stances or gestures,
Keeping it simple; being in love with light
And the marvelous things that light is able to do,
How beautiful! a modesty which is
Seductive extremely, the care of daily things.
At one for once with sunlight falling through
A leaded window, the holy mathematic
Plays out the cat's cradle of relation
Endlessly; even the inexorable
Domesticates itself and becomes charm.
If I could say to you, and make it stick,
A girl in a red hat, a woman in blue
Reading a letter, the lady weighing gold . . .
If I could say this to you so you saw,
And knew, and agreed that this was how it was
In a lost city across the sea of years,
I think we should be for one moment happy
In the great reckoning of those little rooms
Where the weight of life has been lifted and made light,
Or standing invisible on the shore opposed,
Watching the water in the foreground dream
Reflectively, taking a view of Delft
As it was, under a wide and darkening sky.
View of Delft
Jan Vermeer
c. 1660-1661
Jan Vermeer
c. 1660-1661
I love these opening lines by Nemerov: "Taking what is, and seeing it as it is, pretending to no heroic stances of gestures, keeping it simple; being in love with light . . ." Great advice not only for painting, but for life itself.
I agree, Vermeer's use of life is superb and brings all his pictures alive. I just love his paintings because of this.
ReplyDeleteI like the words by Nemerov that you have taken out of the poem, especially "keeping it simple and being in love with light".
Thanks, Sandra. Glad you liked this post and the poem in particular.
DeleteI love The Girl with the Pearl Ear-ring George. My first husband, Dominic's father, bought me a really good quality print of it and had it framed for my 21st birthday. In those days we called it The Girl with the Yellow Turban. It has hung on my wall ever since.
ReplyDeleteA nice story, Pat. Glad to know that The Girl with the Pearl Earring (or Yellow Turban, as the case may be) is still hanging on your wall.
DeleteYes, indeed. It is great advice for life, as well. Wonderful examples here in the poetry and the paintings.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Teresa. Glad you liked the poem and images.
Delete"Taking what is, and seeing it as it is,
ReplyDeletePretending to no heroic stances or gestures,
Keeping it simple; being in love with light
And the marvelous things that light is able to do,
How beautiful! a modesty which is
Seductive extremely, the care of daily things. . . "
Well, the whole poem really. Yes. This is what our life should be.
There are times when I'm sewing, in our living room-become-studio, that the light is so beautiful, and the leaves outside illuminated so gorgeously, that I have to pause let it stick.
Have you seen the film "Tim's Vermeer"? It is mind-blowing. In some way, I sort of hate to see the magic of Vermeer's light "filtered" through this remarkable discovery. But it is still ingenious, even if this is true.
The site with info and a trailer of the film is here.
Thanks for your lovely comment, Ruth. Yes, I think we need to always remember to pause when the light is wonderful; it's so fleeting and must be captured, if only in the momentary experience. Haven't seen the film, but will definitely check it out. I know there has long been a debate about whether Vermeer used the camera obscura or other optical devices in his painting. It doesn't really matter to me, one way or the other. He has captured the magic of light, magic that I suspect each of us has been witness to, and that is what is important to me. Looking forward to seeing the film.
DeleteI think the film does a great job of magnifying the wonder of Vermeer's light, the brilliance of his eye and use of it, regardless of how he implemented it. I'd love to hear your thoughts after seeing it.
DeleteYes, I will get back to you, Ruth, after seeing the film. May be a few days. It's rather hectic at the moment as we are having some significant repairs made to our house.
DeleteI like the play of light and also his talent of using negative space to enhance the subject. Simplicity is so pleasing to the eye.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Barb, and I quite agree about the negative space and simplicity of the compositions. I his choice of domestic activities and friends and family in his home in Delft. I understand that the vast majority of his paintings were painted in two small rooms in his Delft home.
DeleteVermeer I love, and I like this poem very much, but knew nothing about Nemerov until now. To write a poem like this about painting and light, and relate the effect of light so subtly and beautifully, yet simply, to what's going on in the painting, requires some skill. The modesty of the poem reflects the modesty of the paintings' subjects and their activities. I just love the phrase 'holy mathematic' and the line 'In the great reckoning of those little rooms / Where the weight of life has been lifted and made light', with its play on the word 'light' and its recognition of the importance of simple 'daily things' — 'heroic' in their own way, but ultimately modest and charming. Light has shown us this. The writer makes a good case for telling us the truth, for showing how light tells the truth — but ultimately we shall never know if Vermeer's light or the poet's words are telling the 'real' truth (was the light really like this?) or an artistic, subjective truth. Perhaps that artistic truth, however, is, in the end, the real truth, the real illumination.
ReplyDeleteThanks for bringing this poem to my attention, George. My life is the better for it.
Thanks so much, Robert, for your thoughtful and though-provoking comment. I'm delighted that you like this poem as much as I do. Since stumbling upon it a couple of weeks ago, I've reread it many times. There is so much I like about it, most of which you've alluded to in your comment. There's something especially appealing about having an artist in one medium pay loving homage to the work of another artist in another medium.
DeleteI've read that most of Vermeer's paintings were painted in one of two small rooms in his house in Delft, which makes all the more poignant those fine words you quote: "In the great reckoning of those little rooms/Where the weight of life has been lifted and made life." The initial title I used for this post was the last part of that line — "Where The Weight of Life Has Been Lifted and Made Light" — but, for whatever reason, I changed it before posting the piece.
Nemerov was our national Poet Laureate back in the late sixties. For what it's worth, he was also the brother of the photographer, Diane Arbus.
Hi George, Your posts have been wonderful... filled with thought and beauty.
ReplyDeleteI especially love Vermeer's work.. it has a simplicity with depth.
Thanks, Gwen. You're very kind. Like you, I'm attracted to thoughtfulness, simplicity, and beauty in things, and Vermeer captures all of those qualities.
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