Girl with a Pearl Earring

[[Patterns 13e_e-Reading for Description]]

Johannes Vermeer

Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) was a Dutch painter. Along with Rembrandt, Frans Hals, and several other artists, he is considered one of the “Dutch Masters.” Vermeer is known for painting scenes of middle-class domestic life as well as for his sophisticated use of perspective, light, and color, which often gives his work a heightened sense of realism.

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Questions

Examine Girl with a Pearl Earring and respond to the following questions.

Comprehension

Question 7.1

What details does the painting include? Which specific details stand out or attract your attention?

Question 7.2

How would you describe the facial expression of the woman in the painting?

Purpose and Audience

Question 7.3

Do you think the artist’s purpose was to create a realistic portrait of a real person? An idealized image of a woman? Explain.

Question 7.4

Along with paintings such as Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and Edvard Munch’s The Scream, Girl with a Pearl Earring is one of the most famous and popular works of art in the world. It has inspired both a novel and a movie, and many people visit it every year at the Mauritshuis Museum in the Netherlands. Why do you think people remain fascinated by this image?

Mode

Question 7.5

While the original Girl with a Pearl Earring hangs in the Mauritshuis Museum, innumerable copies of it exist, both in print and online. Do you think such reproductions of paintings diminish them? Do you think viewing a painting online enhances the experience? Explain your reasoning.

Question 7.6

While this painting is best known as Girl with a Pearl Earring, it is known by other names as well, including Head of Young Girl, Girl in a Turban, and Head of Girl in a Turban. Which of these names do you think is most appropriate? Why? Can you suggest a different name for this painting?

Writing Workshop

Question 7.7

How would you describe this painting to someone who had not—or could not—view it? Write a descriptive essay that captures both the overall impression of the image and its details.

Question 7.8

The critic Edward A. Snow finds an overwhelming sense of loss and grief in the painting’s image, writing: “She may reach out to us as an icon of desire, but grief is the element in which she takes shape, through which she falls.” Do you agree? Do you find the painting evocative of sadness or loss? Write a descriptive essay that explores and answers this question.