“Come to the edge.”
“We can't. We're afraid.”
“Come to the edge.”
“We can't. We will fall!”
“Come to the edge.”
And they came.
And he pushed them.
And they flew.
~ Guillaume Apollinaire, 1880-1918
And the day came when the risk it took
to remain tight inside the bud
was more painful than
the risk it took to blossom.
~ Anais Nin, American Author
"Coincidence is when God
chooses to remain anonymous."
This is Johannes Vermeer month!!! (not really ... )
BUT ... this really IS the first painting of Vermeer's mentioned in The Girl With a Pearl Earring!
* The second painting of Vermeer's mentioned in The Girl With a Pearl Earring!
* The title of this painting tells us right away what the subject of this painting is: a view of the city of Delft. From a distance, we see the old town of Delft with its city gates. On the left we see the city gate of Schiedam and to the right the city gate of Rotterdam, with its two towers. In the middle we see a large stone bridge. In the background a church tower bathes in sunlight. This is the New Church in the center of Delft. In the foreground the wide canal, de Schie, flows. This was the connection between Rotterdam, Schiedam and Delfshaven.
The enormous clouds in the sky are also striking. Vermeer painted a dark cloud, which gives a strange light-dark effect to the city. The city gates are in the shadow, while the New Church stands in bright sunlight. To the left, in the foreground, we see how a group of people is comfortably chatting to each other on the banks of the canal.
The city's contours are reflected in the calm water of the Schie. The way Vermeer achieved these kinds of effects is of great and much appreciated quality. Often, he could paint marvelous effects with just a few brushstrokes. For example, take a look at the way he made the pearl shine in 'Girl with a pearl earring' or the way he painted 'The little street'.