Oct. 31 - Vermeer

Jan Vermeer, one of the greatest Dutch masters, is responsible for some of the most iconic imagery in the history of art, such as The Girl with a Pearl Earring (ca.1665), The Milkmaid (ca. 1660) and The Art of Painting (1665-1668). His artworks are a rarity, with only around 36 known paintings attributed to him. Much of Vermeer’s life remains a mystery, which makes him and his paintings all the more captivating and intriguing.

"Girl at Open Window Reading Letter"  1669

Painters in the small but rich and Protestant territory of the

Netherlands no longer painted saints and kings and mythological

scenes, but they painted what their clients, wealthy businessmen,

wanted to see and show in their homes.  Paintings became smaller,

focused on the middle class, and artists painted each

expensive item in the homes with great care, for their owners.

"Girl in Blue Reading Letter"

Jan Vermeer was born Oct. 31, 1632 in Delft.   He lived and worked in Delft all his life.  His father was a weaver, who was also registered as an art dealer in the Delft Saint Luke’s Guild in 1631. Very little is known about Vermeer’s early education and why he decided to pursue a career as a painter, but in December 1653 he was registered as a master painter in the Saint Luke’s Guild. In the same year, he also married Catharina Bolnes. His mother in-law, Maria Thins, possessed a moderate collection of paintings by the Utrecht Caravaggisti, painters that were profoundly influenced by the art of Caravaggio. This influence was a factor in the development of Vermeer’s early style in biblical and mythological paintings.

"The Milkmaid"

"Girl with Pitcher by Window"

In the latter part of the 1650s, Vermeer gradually switched to genre painting, that depicted intimate scenes of domestic life. His most famous paintings were interior scenes of young women engaged in reading and writing, playing musical instruments and doing domestic work. In Young Woman with a Water Pitcher (ca. 1662-1665), Vermeer demonstrated his mastery of light and texture. In the quiet scene, Vermeer expressed the beauty and harmony found in everyday objects and activities.

"The Music Lesson"

Notice the leaded windows, the inlaid tile floor, he harpsichord, 

the rich tapestry on the table, the paintings on the wall, the beautiful

jug and tray.  All of these were signs of the wealth and taste of

the owner of his home.

"The Art of Painting"

Vermeer worked slowly and with great care, and frequently used very expensive pigmens. He is particularly renowned for his masterly treatment and use of light in his work.  "Almost all his paintings," Hans Koningsberger wrote, "are apparently set in two smallish rooms in his house in Delft; they show the same furniture and decorations in various arrangements and they often portray the same people, mostly women."  The  maps which appear on the walls in many of the

paintings show where Dutch ships and merchants sailed to buy products and make

their fortunes.  They are signs of wealth and success.

"The Little Street"   1661

"View of Delft"   1660

 By the 1660s, Vermeer was an established artist, and he was selected to serve as one of the heads of the Saint Luke’s Guild in 1662-1663. During his career, the artist showed interest in camera obscura, an optical tool that could project imagery on a flat surface. Some have argued that this interest extended into his method of painting, and that he used the device to plan the arrangements of his compositions.

"Couple at a Table"

"Girl with Red Hat"

"Lady with Wineglass"

In 1671-1672, Vermeer was once again selected to serve as head of the Delft Saint Luke’s Guild. Despite being well respected within Delft’s artistic community, Vermeer fell into financial peril towards the end of his life. He died in 1675 in Delft, leaving his wife and children with enormous debt. Because he only garnered moderate success and encountered unfortunate circumstances at the end of his life, Vermeer was largely forgotten by history.

"Lady with Wineglass"

"Lady with Balance"

 However, this all changed in the 19th century, mostly due to the work of French art critic, Théophile Thoré-Bürger. Thoré-Bürger’s efforts to identify Vermeer’s paintings, and the admiration he expressed for Vermeer in his writings piqued the interest of the broader public.

"The Lacemaker"

"The Procuress"

Vermeer's reputation increased greatly during the latter half of the 20th century, a period during which the number of paintings ascribed to him shrank greatly. This is partly because he has been one of the most widely forged artists, and many forgeries have now been identified. No drawings or preparatory paintings are known.  He is now acknowledged as one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden  Age.

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Oct. Flowers

 

The Chicago Botanic Gardens are filled with thousands of flowers in brilliant bloom.

These beds are along the Esplanade and in their rich colors, they look like

Persian carpets.  There are six colors of chrysanthemums here.

There are ten large beds of these Persian Carpet Mums.

The entrance to the Gardens is across a bridge hung with curtains of white mums.

Mums can be trained to grow in almost any shape from single large blossoms to

pyramids, to huge pots, to hanging curtains.

Boxes of white mums also line the bridge.

Pots of brilliantly colored mums are found throughout the Gardens.

These are saffron yellow mums.

This is one of six pots by the entrance with Autumn Bronze Mums.

Close-up of the Autumn Bronze Mums.

The next stop is the Heritage Gardens.  This is a North American Sunflower.

It is a new variety which stands only three feet high

Yellow Calendula / Pot Marigold

Calendula  /  Pot Marigold

Blue Potato Vine.  The Potato family of plants includes many decorative varieties.

This is a beautiful blue variety.

Decorative Kale.  The Gardens try to plant only specimens which are hardy and

can take a Chicago winter.  They also like to mix vegetables and flowers,

and the results are interesting and beautiful.  These kale come with purple,

pink, or white centers.

One of the many varieties of Black Eyed Susans  /  Rudbeckia.

Golden Queen Globeflower

Strawflowers in the English Garden

Pale Blue Waterlily.  The waterlily ponds were filled with many colors of flowers.

White Waterlily.  Some of these open at night as female plants, get pollinated by bugs

overnight, and the next day they turn male before dying.

It said so on the tag!

Starlet Spoon Korean Mums

This was one of the featured varieties throughout the Gardens this year.

Korean Mums are particularly hardy  and prolific bloomers, and they do

very well in Chicago winters, surviving easily outdoors in gardens.

Autumn Crocus - Lavender Lady.  What a delight!  These bulbs stay quiet and

underground all spring and summer; then in late September, they appear through

the groundcover and bloom prolifically.  These are Waterlily Autumn Crocus.

Two clumps of Lavender Lady Autumn Crocus

Giant Multicolored Autumn Crocus

White Waterlily Autumn Crocus

Guernsey Lilies

Blue Floss Flowers  /  Ageratum

"Cheerleader"  Football Mums

"Cheerleader"  Football Mums

"Delphine" Pink Rose

"Princess Margaret" red and white rose

White York Rose

"Hot Cocoa"  Rose

"Elegance"  Rose

Walled English Garden, Urn, and Black-Eyed Susans

Raspberry and Vanilla Panicle Hydrangea

Raspberry  Panicle  Hydrangea

Sassy Black-Eyed Susans

"Callie Dahlia"

"Bahama Mama"  Dahlia  in  the  Bulb  Garden

"Diva" deep purple dahlia  in  Bulb  Garden

"Junkyard Dog Dahlia."  I don't know where the name came from,
but is on all the ID tags in the garden.  But it's beautiful and large.

"Louie Meggos"  Dinner Plate Mum - 12 inches across

We discovered three new houses in the Lincoln Park Area of Chicago's Near North Side.

The Parillo Palace at 1932 N. Burling.

The Wilson House at 550 W. Dickens

The Mullins Mansion at 1955 N. Burling.
This one is for sale.

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