Vermeer: The Complete Works

A fine book on Vermeer with good repros and short but to the point commentary on each painting by the author. I've seen Vermeers in the Rijksmuseum in the original, and although no color plate can do justice to them, these are pretty decent. Vermeer's rich, saturated colors and use of transparent and translucent glazes are impossible to really reproduce in print, at least at a reasonable cost, not to mention his amazing treatment of specular highlights. But the plates in this book are still pretty good. The book shows all known Vermeers, of which there are less than forty, usually with several paragraphs of commentary on each painting. The author does a good job of placing each painting in the context of Vermeer's overall oeuvre while discussing the painting's special or unique points. No doubt you'll recognize many of your favorite Vermeers here. Vermeer's masters are still a mystery although Carel Fabritius, Rembrandt's most famous student, and others have been proposed, but without conclusive proof. We may never know who trained him, but one thing is for sure, early on after being certified as a master of the guild, Vermeer turned from the more dramatic subject of historical paintings to painting the intimate and understated works he's known for, in which people are treated almost like inanimate objects in a still life and the light permeates whole volumes of space with liquid effect. Forever a girl stands in front of a virginal, or pours milk from a pitcher, while the light dances and plays around her. Someone once noted that Vermeer's spaces are quite empty and uncluttered, but this makes sense if you think about it. Since Vermeer was fascinated by light, and the way different surfaces and textures reflected light, Vermeer would not wish to clutter up any space and interfere with the propagation and reflection of light throughout the space. Vermeer was nothing if not a painter of light and lighting effects which he treated more like a dynamic and fluid medium which literally molded the space it touched rather than simple lighting in that sense. Vermeer also often liked to pose his models playing musical instruments or reading letters, using the act of reading a private communication to create a more intimate mood or identification with the person. The author also provides a brief introduction and history of Vermeer's life and work, which is about five pages long in this large paperback format, so it's probably more like ten pages in a normal book. Overall, a brief but very well done book on Vermeer.

If you're looking for a vermeer book, this is definitely the one to go for. It has everything: LARGE, beautiful, full color reproductions of all of Vermeer's work, a biography of his life, and very good commentaries on each painting. Plus, it's affordable. Highly recommended.

The print quality though not a perfect color match in the paintings, is better than most. I've yet to find a Veermeer book that closely matches Vermeer's vivid use of color while at the same time closely matching the original colors. It's a well made book, amazing considering the low price.The writing is rather dry and unemotionally scholarly albeit comprehensive, and can be somewhat boring. I would rather read a more thorough analysis of what each painting was intended to say and how it was made and composed, written with less emotional detachment. At the price though, it's a pretty good book.

I saw and was transformed by the Vermeer exhibit in Washington, D.C. a few years ago. I bought this book along with Girl in Hyacinth Blue. While the print edition cannot begin to reproduce the "light" of his paintings, this excellent production brought back a flood of feelings and remembrances from show.

This exceptional work showcases Vermeer's oeuvre with very high quality reproduction. Note especially the clarity of two wondrous Vermeer portraits, the Girl with the Pearl Earring and the Girl with the Red Hat; both have been recently cleaned and restored and are presented here with much of the the subtle values and luminous color characteristic of the originals. The landscapes are beautifully captured to scale: The Little Street shimmers with tincture of bricks and mortar, while The View of Delft generates a sense of lapidary majesty. The Lady Reading, the Milkmaid, the Woman in Blue, and the Woman Holding a Balance are simply splendid, as are the Astronomer and the Geographer.Arthur Wheelocks's text incisively narrates Vermeer's threadbare story, givng historical context while providing insight about the paintings themselves. I'm not sure he should have included the controversial St. Praxedis, for many scholars have rejected its attribution to Vermeer. But his commentary as well as his methodology for dating the paintings is informed by the best scholarship, for Wheelock has been at the forefront over the last several decades in bringing Vermeer to the public at large.Given the price, this book is a terrific value. It can be used on the coffee table and as an essentail companion when reading other volumes about Vermeer. Better still, take it with you as you visit personally all the Vermeers in the New York (the Metropolitan and the Frick) and Washington, DC( the National Gallery) museums.