Jan Vermeer - The Master of Light
Leafing through a book full of images from the Dutch Golden Age, I fell on a set of paintings that made me stop my rhythmic page turning. They were by the Dutch 17th Century artist, Jan Vermeer. What struck me about these masterpieces was the way he used light. He captured a quiet, still moment that the viewer could enter into. I could almost imagine the dust floating in the air, made visible by the light shafts falling through the window, the quietness of the solitary figure, the contemplative space. As I marveled over image after image I became aware that many of the subjects were lit from the left, seemingly from the same window. The sunlight illuminated the scene and created this beautiful rendering of light and shadow which gave each picture an ethereal feel. Woman holding a balance - Vermeer 1664 The Geographer - Jan Vermeer 1669 The As
