Two
people can look at the same object and take away two completely different
things. Most people may just wonder at the beauty of the object and admire the
person who created it for their talents. Some though will wonder how the object
is created and want to replicate it or be inspired to create something of their
own. Johannas Vermeer was someone many consider one of the great painters in
history. His work, though 350 years old, is often admired for its photo like
appearance. Many over the last 300 years
have tried to figure out Vermeer’s method, and while most have not, there has
been some who believe that they have solved the mystery to what made Vermeer’s
paintings so amazing.
British artist David Hockney in 1992 wrote a book called “Secret
Knowledge “on how the old masters used technology to make their works
realistic. That technology was optical tools, that help the painters make their
paintings so photo-like. Inventor Tim Jenison read that book as well as Phillip
Steadman’s “Vermeer’s Camera”. Tim though was not just satisfied with reading,
he wanted to try and paint a Vermeer to see if the theory was correct. Tim had
a slight problem; he had never painted before, which might be a problem if you
are trying to recreate one of the great pieces of art. Well Tim didn’t get
discouraged by such a minor detail and set out to recreate Vermeer’s “The Music
Lesson”. In order for Tim to do that, he would have to recreate everything he
could about the setting the Vemreer used to paint. He would recreate the
environment perfectly, even turning a room in a building to match the
painting’s environment exactly. Before Tim would do any of that though, he
tested the theory on a black and white picture, where he used a mirror to match
the colors exactly, with a finished result that will amaze you.
For 5 years
Tim toyed with mirrors, darkrooms, and lenses to be able to archive his desired
result. After working everything out, Tim would spend the next 213 days
recreating the classic work of art, with a result that will blow your mind. The
film follows Tim from the conception of his idea to him completing the painting
and the bumps and triumphs along the way. Now while the saying “It’s like
watching paint dry” is said when something is beyond boring, watching Tim paint
is far from that. You would think watching a man paint so rigorously would not
be very fun,but not this time. Tim’s personality makes it very easy to watch,
and you will marvel at the time and effort he puts into every detail. This
documentary is just a pleasure to watch, and will leave you in awe and also
just might inspire you to create some art of your own.
Brian Taylor
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