Arcadópolis
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Johannes Vermeer, c. 1665
What you see
A girl is seen from behind, half-turned, looking at us over her shoulder. Her lips are parted, as if she were about to speak. She wears an ochre jacket with a white collar and a blue turban from which a long yellow cloth falls. A large pearl hangs from her ear. Nothing else is shown: just her, against a dark background.
Light enters from the left and models the face gently, with no hard edges between light and shadow. The blue of the turban and the yellow of the cloth stand out against the ochre jacket. Seek out the tiny highlights on her lower lip and in her eyes, the white collar reflected at the bottom of the pearl and the fine cracks across the paint.
About Johannes Vermeer
Johannes Vermeer lived his whole life in Delft and painted very slowly: only about 35 of his works are known. He loved the soft light that comes through a window and falls on quiet scenes of daily life. He used very expensive pigments, such as ultramarine blue made from a precious stone.
More by Johannes Vermeer
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