Where Arts Collide – Movies About Artists – “Girl With A Pearl Earring”

What About Art? will be presenting monthly posts that discuss movies made about artists. Our goal will be to offer up our own review of each film—and to separate the facts from the fiction. 

“Girl With A Pearl Earring” - Theatrical Release Poster (click photo for larger image)First up is “Girl With A Pearl Earring” (2003), directed by Peter Weber and starring Scarlett Johanssen, Colin Firth, and Tom Wilkinson. The screenplay by Olivia Hetreed was adapted from a wonderful novel of the same name, by Tracy Chevalier. The story is focused on a beautiful young maid (Griet) employed by the family of the 17^th century master, Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675).

Troubles erupt when she becomes his studio assistant, and the model for what would become one of the artist’s most famous paintings. Interestingly, the actual painting is in very poor condition, and has suffered from numerous and extensive restorations—and is marred by an “ugly pattern of cracks”. Nevertheless, it became famous after its rediscovery and was dubbed the "Gioconda of the North" (in reference to Leonardo’s “Mona Lisa”) by enthusiastic critics.

Thankfully, enough of the original work remains for it to be recognized as an outstanding work—and mysterious enough to inspire the book and movie. Critics were somewhat divided when the film opened. Most agreed that the performances were excellent, and that the film was beautifully shot. But the consensus of both critics and the audience suggests that the pace was too slow, and that Firth’s acting abilities weren’t put to their best use.

We disagree. WAA sees the pace of the film as a metaphor for the way Vermeer painted—slowly, thoughtfully, and meticulously—and also mirrors his palette. So for us, both the look and the pace of the film work exactly as they should.

Johannes Vermeer - Girl with a Pearl Earring - c. 1665 - Oil on canvas, 46,5 x 40 cm Mauritshuis, The Hague (click photo for larger image)SPOILERS FOLLOW. It is important to remember that the movie is not a biobic (nor is the book a biography). This is pure fiction. For example, there was no “ Griet” in the Vermeer household. The sitter for the painter was probably either one of  the daughters of Vermeer or Pieter an Ruijven. There was, indeed, a maid named Tanneke (played by Joanna Scanlan in the film), whose likeness can be found in several of the artist’s paintings. Van Ruijven, (portrayed by Tom Wilkinson) was one of Vermeer’s patrons. But there is nothing in scholarship to suggest that he was the lecherous man depicted in the film.

The characters of Vermeer’s wife, Catharina (played by Essie Davis) and her mother, Maria Thins (portrayed by Judy Parfitt) depart dramatically from reality. In truth, both women were very supportive of Vermeer’s artistic endeavors—and both modeled for him. Some scholars feel that the movie was unfair to both of these women, who endured terrible abuses when they were younger at the hands of Maria’s husband and son. (There’s definitely a story to be told there!) But “The Girl With A Pearl Earring” is fiction, folks. WAA suggests that you enjoy this lovely film (and the original novel) from that perspective.

Is It a True Tale?

Johannes Vermeer - Girl with a Pearl Earring - c. 1665 - Oil on canvas, 46,5 x 40 cm — (approx. 18 x 15.7 in) - Mauritshuis, The HagueJohannes Vermeer (1632-1675) “The Girl with the Pearl Earring” provided Vermeer his most lasting legacy. Often referred to as the “Dutch Mona Lisa”—the sitter for this “tronie” still remains something of a mystery. But the most frequently mentioned candidate for the model is Vermeer’s eldest daughter, Maria, who was probably born in 1654. That would have  made her about twelve years old by 1665-1667, the dating scholars have assigned to the painting. A second candidate is Magdalena, the only daughter of Vermeer's patron, Pieter Van Ruijven, in part because he owned the painting for a time. Much as we all love a good tale—there is absolutely NO historical evidence to support the fiction that a maid named “Griet" posed for the painting. The film and book also mischaracterize Vermeer’s wife—who indeed modeled for him frequently and avidly supported his artistic efforts.

The Patrician Marries the Pauper

Rembrandt. Portrait of the Young Saskia - 1633 - Oil on oak, 52,5 x 44,5 cm - (approx. 20 x 17.3 in) - Gemäldegalerie, DresdenThat Saskia van Uylenburgh fell in love with an artist (Rembrandt - c. 1606-1669) who was socially no match for the daughter of a patrician—and that she pressed for a speedy betrothal against all conventions—certainly shows that she was a very strong and independent woman. Rembrandt outlived Saskia and their children. She hadn’t left him any money in her Will (leaving it to their only living son, Titus, instead) because she knew Rembrandt was terrible with money. He owned a fine art collection and definitely enjoyed the finer things in life—well beyond his means. Sadly, the artist outlived his wife and all of their children. He died in financial hardship--and even ended up selling Saskia’s grave to pay his bills. But she was his muse throughout their life together.

The Sienese Style

Ventura Salimbeni - Descent into Limbo - 1600-10 - Oil on canvas, 69 x 55 cm - Private collection (click photo for larger image)Ventura Salimbeni (1568-1613) was first taught painting in his native Siena by his father. Ventura possibly spent some time in northern Italy before going to Rome, where he worked from 1588, collaborating on the fresco decoration of the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana (the Vatican Library) during the reign of Pope Sixtus V. In 1595 he returned to Siena where he became one of the last leaders of the Mannerist school, and completed painting cycles for Sienese churches such as Santa Trinità and Santo Spirito. He continued to create paintings for churches throughout Italy, including Assisi and Florence. For almost all of his painting cycles he first created detailed preparatory drawings. In the work featured here, the distinctive palette of soft hues of pink, yellow and purples is reminiscent of fellow citizen artist Domenico Beccafumi. An enduring influence of Giuseppe Cesari can be also be detected in the figure types, notably that of Eve, rendered in the immediate left foreground of the scene.

Animal Satire

Cornelis Saftleven - An Enchanted Cellar with Animals - c. 1655 - 1670 - Black and red chalk, gray and brown wash, and watercolor - 10 1/8 x 12 5/8 in. - Getty Center, Los Angeles (click photo for larger image)Dutch Baroque era artist Cornelis Saftleven was the most successful of a family of artists. He became best known for painting genre scenes of peasants and satirical pictures of animals dressed and acting like theologians and jurists. He also did landscapes with sheep and cattle grazing.