Vermeer: Japanese Style

Paper Summary:

The works of the renowned Dutch master Vermeer (1632-1675) are comparable to Japanese art due to their dual appreciation and representation of unfilled space. He depicts subtle shades of luminous highlights, all incorporated within a meticulously ordered arrangement. The paper discusses the paintings 'The Geographer,' 'The Woman Holding the Balance' and 'The Music Lesson' - all of which echo ideas established by Japanese art. It shows that these paintings reveal an era where the general interest lay in exquisite furniture, beautiful women and extravagant attires. These carefully observed and accurately drawn paintings of the 17th-century were branded by a geometrical sense of balance, order and refinement; their suggestiveness analogous to the Japanese design.

From the Paper:

"The Japanese aesthetic, Wabi-Sabi, is the ability to discover the beauty of imperfection. Similar to Zen Buddhism, Wabi-Sabi cherishes qualities that are earthy, modest, rustic and unassuming. Ordinary items are appreciated for their seeming beauty, such as budding flowers. Many Japanese landscape paintings portray nature when it's growing instead of when it's full-blossomed; it allows for our imagination to finish what it began. It stirs up the internal quintessence of an object but only provides a subtle presence; rationale is secondary to perception; mood means more than an accurate depiction. This deliberately suggestive style allows for the beauty incompleteness and omission to be valued."

More papers on Vermeer: Japanese Style:

• Essay # 38069 : "Japanese Style Management"
• Descriptive Essay # 116043 : "Monet and Japanese Art"
• Analytical Essay # 147399 : "Negotiation with Japanese Business People"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: