“Girl with a Pearl Earring” is Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer’s most famous work and is starting its first ever North American tour at San Francisco’s own de Young museum. We don’t deserve the honor. Museum going is not really a West Coast activity. We are, however, grateful.
Painted in 1665, “Girl with a Pearl Earring” is one of only 36 of Vermeer’s known paintings. Both Vermeer the artist and the subject of his famed painting are mysteries. “Girl with a Pearl Earring” is often referred to as the Dutch Mona Lisa, but I find it far more aesthetically intriguing and pleasing than the Mona Lisa. It is also larger, if that matters. Don’t get me wrong I think Da Vinci was one of the most admirable left-handed people that ever lived. But I find his talent better showcased in paintings other than the Mona Lisa.
“Girl with a Pearl Earring” is one of my all-time favorite paintings. I find the chiaroscuro lighting and the capture of expression truly remarkable. I never tire of gazing at the painting, so I am truly looking forward to seeing it in San Francisco at the de Young Museum. It will be hosted in a collection with 35 other Dutch paintings from the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis at the Hague. They will be on display only until June 2.
Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring”
Other artists in the exhibition include Rembrandt van Rijn, Pieter Claesz, Frans Hals, Pieter de Hooch and Jacob van Ruisdael.
After this collection’s short stay in San Francisco, it will voyage to Atlanta’s High Museum of Art and then The Frick Collection in New York for October where it will likely be more appreciated.
Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/01/girl-with-a-pearl-earring-de-young-museum_n_2602529.html
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