Painting Process
Important Passages from Girl With A Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
“I wanted to wear the mantle and the pearls. I wanted to know the man who painted her like that. I thought of me looking at my reflection in the mirror earlier and was ashamed [...] I looked at the painting one last time, but by studying it so hard I felt something slip away. It was like looking at a star in the night sky- if I looked at one directly I could barely see it, but if I looked from the corner of my eye it became much brighter ” <p.36-37>
In this specific passage, Griet is referring to the painting “Woman with a Pearl Necklace”. She describes the painting to the audience in very precise detail. This painting is of a woman dressing herself with yellow ribbons, pearl earrings and a pearl necklace. The woman is clearly upper-class and she is standing in a corner of a sun-lit room. Maria Thins explains to Griet that the painting is still in process and Vermeer yet has to change a few things. This passage illustrates how Vermeer slowly draws Griet into his world of art and painting and how she becomes fascinated with all the images of the women in domestic settings. Griet analyzes the painting and feels as if she is a part of the picture and even shows envy towards the woman depicted. There is a simile in the passage where she compares a star in the night sky to the painting. She analyzed the painting so deeply that she felt as if it was suddenly disappearing. This painting allows Griet to imagine her life differently- more prestigious and luxurious than the one that she is destined to have. The lack of wealth in her life and her contact with Vermeer’s paintings put her in a position where she becomes aspiring and even resentful. [Addie Neuman]
In this specific passage, Griet is referring to the painting “Woman with a Pearl Necklace”. She describes the painting to the audience in very precise detail. This painting is of a woman dressing herself with yellow ribbons, pearl earrings and a pearl necklace. The woman is clearly upper-class and she is standing in a corner of a sun-lit room. Maria Thins explains to Griet that the painting is still in process and Vermeer yet has to change a few things. This passage illustrates how Vermeer slowly draws Griet into his world of art and painting and how she becomes fascinated with all the images of the women in domestic settings. Griet analyzes the painting and feels as if she is a part of the picture and even shows envy towards the woman depicted. There is a simile in the passage where she compares a star in the night sky to the painting. She analyzed the painting so deeply that she felt as if it was suddenly disappearing. This painting allows Griet to imagine her life differently- more prestigious and luxurious than the one that she is destined to have. The lack of wealth in her life and her contact with Vermeer’s paintings put her in a position where she becomes aspiring and even resentful. [Addie Neuman]
"Yes, like mine. When you look at the cap long enough," I added hurriedly, "you see that he has not really painted it white, but blue, and violet, and yellow."
"But it's a white cap, you said."
"Yes, that's what is so strange. It's painted many colors, but when you look at it, you think it's white."
"Tile painting is much simpler," my gather grumbled. "You use blue and that's all. A dark blue for the outlines, a light blue for the shadows. Blue is blue."
And a tile is a tile, I thought, and nothing like his paintings. I wanted him to understand that white was not simply white. It was a lesson my master had taught me.<p.90>
In this passage, author mainly wanted to show Vermeer's using of false color through viewers point of view. From the heroine's depict of Vermeer’s picture to her father, the technique was given attention for the first time. As the tile painter, readers are in the situation where we can only get access to the image through others words. While reading the girl saying that the white cap was actually painted blue, violet and yellow, I was as confused as her father. The author cleverly used father’s figure to ask questions readers might have and brought us into wondering and attracted us to read and wait for her to reveal the answer. However, at this time in the book, the girl hadn’t known the secret of false color yet, so she couldn’t explain the idea clearly to her father and us. The suspense attracted me even more. Representing what we used to see things, the father’s tile painting experience was used as a comparison. With someone there having similar opinion for the picture with me, I was more firmed to the thought that the painting was impossible and not understandable, which would contribute to the huge surprise when Vermeer talk about his actual thoughts. It successfully highlighted the unusual of the technique. Being able to use the technique, Vermeer must be talented and sharp. Although couldn’t fully understand the technique, our little maid was still firmly supporting her hero’s painting and charmed by the painting. Her advocating Vermeer’s painting showed her honor to Vermeer and also the start of ‘love’, which was interesting. She had already been obsessed by her master’s painting and his talent glowing through the pictures. These all showed how talented and attractive Vermeer was. [Minshuo Li]
"But it's a white cap, you said."
"Yes, that's what is so strange. It's painted many colors, but when you look at it, you think it's white."
"Tile painting is much simpler," my gather grumbled. "You use blue and that's all. A dark blue for the outlines, a light blue for the shadows. Blue is blue."
And a tile is a tile, I thought, and nothing like his paintings. I wanted him to understand that white was not simply white. It was a lesson my master had taught me.<p.90>
In this passage, author mainly wanted to show Vermeer's using of false color through viewers point of view. From the heroine's depict of Vermeer’s picture to her father, the technique was given attention for the first time. As the tile painter, readers are in the situation where we can only get access to the image through others words. While reading the girl saying that the white cap was actually painted blue, violet and yellow, I was as confused as her father. The author cleverly used father’s figure to ask questions readers might have and brought us into wondering and attracted us to read and wait for her to reveal the answer. However, at this time in the book, the girl hadn’t known the secret of false color yet, so she couldn’t explain the idea clearly to her father and us. The suspense attracted me even more. Representing what we used to see things, the father’s tile painting experience was used as a comparison. With someone there having similar opinion for the picture with me, I was more firmed to the thought that the painting was impossible and not understandable, which would contribute to the huge surprise when Vermeer talk about his actual thoughts. It successfully highlighted the unusual of the technique. Being able to use the technique, Vermeer must be talented and sharp. Although couldn’t fully understand the technique, our little maid was still firmly supporting her hero’s painting and charmed by the painting. Her advocating Vermeer’s painting showed her honor to Vermeer and also the start of ‘love’, which was interesting. She had already been obsessed by her master’s painting and his talent glowing through the pictures. These all showed how talented and attractive Vermeer was. [Minshuo Li]
“There needs to be some disorder in the scene, to contrast with her tranquility… Something to tease the eye. And yet it must be something pleasing to the eye as well.” There was a long pause. He was gazing at the table. I waited, wiping my hands against my apron. “I had not thought I would learn something from a maid”, he said at last. <p.135>
The word, juxtaposition probably best summarizes this passage on the top. Aside from the field of art, whenever two opposites are placed side by side, stronger effect springs from both objects. Needless to say, our eyes get more drawn into them due to their contrasting appearance or atmosphere. The phrase, ‘disorder within tranquility’ certainly serves a significant role by itself alone, yet the deeper importance lies in the passage. When reading just the first two sentences, readers can be easily fooled, guessing the speaker as Vermeer since both sentences talk about a unique style of painting technique. However, the main speaker of the passage is actually Griet, his maid. Seemingly uneducated girl giving such influential advice to her great and famous master, this passage supports the theory that Vermeer, in fact, might have received numerous advices from this maid, which helped him shape his painting technique and styles. Not surprisingly, even from their first meet, Griet gives a brief description of how ‘colors fight each other when they are side by side’, which enlightens Vermeer’s mind. Then, it is not far too stretched to say that Vermeer’s inspiration for ingenious painting styles strengthened with the aid of this maid. Even from this passage, he states ‘I had not thought I would learn something from a maid’. He accepts the fact that his maid’s advice did guide him. With the guidance he received, he most likely incorporated her opinions during his painting process. In fact, when observing most of Vermeer’s painting, viewers can easily notice the calmness from the figure in the drawing who sits in a room surrounded by quite messy objects as shown in paintings The Milkmaid, The Concert, The Girl with the Wineglass and many more. Johannes Vermeer might not have directly heeded for any advice from this young girl who was simply there to help him clean the studio throughout his painting practices. However, by working and spending many hours together in the studio, this gifted maid inevitably influenced the way of Vermeer’s painting style, technique, and process as proven in many instances from the book. [Jung Hun Kim]
The word, juxtaposition probably best summarizes this passage on the top. Aside from the field of art, whenever two opposites are placed side by side, stronger effect springs from both objects. Needless to say, our eyes get more drawn into them due to their contrasting appearance or atmosphere. The phrase, ‘disorder within tranquility’ certainly serves a significant role by itself alone, yet the deeper importance lies in the passage. When reading just the first two sentences, readers can be easily fooled, guessing the speaker as Vermeer since both sentences talk about a unique style of painting technique. However, the main speaker of the passage is actually Griet, his maid. Seemingly uneducated girl giving such influential advice to her great and famous master, this passage supports the theory that Vermeer, in fact, might have received numerous advices from this maid, which helped him shape his painting technique and styles. Not surprisingly, even from their first meet, Griet gives a brief description of how ‘colors fight each other when they are side by side’, which enlightens Vermeer’s mind. Then, it is not far too stretched to say that Vermeer’s inspiration for ingenious painting styles strengthened with the aid of this maid. Even from this passage, he states ‘I had not thought I would learn something from a maid’. He accepts the fact that his maid’s advice did guide him. With the guidance he received, he most likely incorporated her opinions during his painting process. In fact, when observing most of Vermeer’s painting, viewers can easily notice the calmness from the figure in the drawing who sits in a room surrounded by quite messy objects as shown in paintings The Milkmaid, The Concert, The Girl with the Wineglass and many more. Johannes Vermeer might not have directly heeded for any advice from this young girl who was simply there to help him clean the studio throughout his painting practices. However, by working and spending many hours together in the studio, this gifted maid inevitably influenced the way of Vermeer’s painting style, technique, and process as proven in many instances from the book. [Jung Hun Kim]
“I will paint you as I first saw you, Greit. Just you.” He set the chair near his easel, facing...
He is looking at the light that falls on my face, I thought not at my face itself. That is the difference. <p.179>
This passage wonderfully captures one of the most important themes of the book. The process of Griet being painted is the first thing one thinks of when looking at the painting on the cover. The description of this process in this passage brings in not only the artistic perspective, but it also combines it with the exotic chemistry between Vermeer and Griet as portrayed by Chevalier in this book.
The passage starts out with Vermeer trying to get his hyper, curious and full of life maid Griet, to settle down in a pose so that she can be painted by him. He then goes on to ask her to adjust her head slightly so that the light falling on it is from an appropriate angle. This would illuminate part of her face, allowing Vermeer to observe it and create highlights. This is clearly seen in the actual painting too. Evidently, it was a trademark feature of many of Vermeer’s paintings.
The important part, however, comes towards the end of this passage. This is where Griet, while staring at a point and sitting completely still, thinks to herself about how she is being painted by her master. In her thought, she has an epiphany, where we read “He is looking at the light that falls on my face, I thought not at my face itself. That is the difference.” This sums all of the important characteristics attributed to Griet in this tale. It shows that she is not only young, spontaneous and always enthusiastic but also very clever and quick at gaining an artistic perspective, as she learns from her master. [Shivam Patel]
He is looking at the light that falls on my face, I thought not at my face itself. That is the difference. <p.179>
This passage wonderfully captures one of the most important themes of the book. The process of Griet being painted is the first thing one thinks of when looking at the painting on the cover. The description of this process in this passage brings in not only the artistic perspective, but it also combines it with the exotic chemistry between Vermeer and Griet as portrayed by Chevalier in this book.
The passage starts out with Vermeer trying to get his hyper, curious and full of life maid Griet, to settle down in a pose so that she can be painted by him. He then goes on to ask her to adjust her head slightly so that the light falling on it is from an appropriate angle. This would illuminate part of her face, allowing Vermeer to observe it and create highlights. This is clearly seen in the actual painting too. Evidently, it was a trademark feature of many of Vermeer’s paintings.
The important part, however, comes towards the end of this passage. This is where Griet, while staring at a point and sitting completely still, thinks to herself about how she is being painted by her master. In her thought, she has an epiphany, where we read “He is looking at the light that falls on my face, I thought not at my face itself. That is the difference.” This sums all of the important characteristics attributed to Griet in this tale. It shows that she is not only young, spontaneous and always enthusiastic but also very clever and quick at gaining an artistic perspective, as she learns from her master. [Shivam Patel]
“It was Maertge who announced gleefully one day, “Papa has been painting me in the manner in which he painted you. Just me, looking over my shoulder.” <p.224>
In this passage, Chevalier once again shows the positive relationship between Griet and Maertge was still maintained even after the events that occurred ten years ago. That she brought Griet’s things to her from the house and talked with her every so often. Maertge reveals that she is not fully aware of what occurred ten years ago but may know more than what Griet initially thought. The author also uses this passage to show how over time, Griet seems to have moved on from the events at the Vermeer house and has instead focused more on her own family. Much of this passage and the parts before and after it were written to conclude the novel by showing Griet’s increasing distance from the Vermeer family as time moved on. That is up until a few sentences later, when Griet overhears the women talking about Vermeer’s death and learning of his will later on. One could guess that Maertge was referring to Vermeer’s Study of a Young Woman when she was talking about her father painting her in a similar manner to Griet. Griet thinks to herself after Maertge says this about how Vermeer had done his painting of her in secrecy and that Maertge must not know the full story. [Gerard Willingham]
In this passage, Chevalier once again shows the positive relationship between Griet and Maertge was still maintained even after the events that occurred ten years ago. That she brought Griet’s things to her from the house and talked with her every so often. Maertge reveals that she is not fully aware of what occurred ten years ago but may know more than what Griet initially thought. The author also uses this passage to show how over time, Griet seems to have moved on from the events at the Vermeer house and has instead focused more on her own family. Much of this passage and the parts before and after it were written to conclude the novel by showing Griet’s increasing distance from the Vermeer family as time moved on. That is up until a few sentences later, when Griet overhears the women talking about Vermeer’s death and learning of his will later on. One could guess that Maertge was referring to Vermeer’s Study of a Young Woman when she was talking about her father painting her in a similar manner to Griet. Griet thinks to herself after Maertge says this about how Vermeer had done his painting of her in secrecy and that Maertge must not know the full story. [Gerard Willingham]