Vermeer's paintings might be 350 year-old color photographs
Tim Jenison, a Texas-based inventor, attempts to solve one of the greatest mysteries in the art world: How did Dutch master Johannes Vermeer manage to paint so photo-realistically 150 years before the invention of photography? Here's how he conducted his experiment.
[...]
Vermeer's paintings are legendary for their realism, and many have speculated that he must have used some sort of optical technology, like the camera obscura, to get that result.
It's common knowledge that you can trace the images projected on the screen of a camera obscura, which is basically a black box with a lens mounted on one side. This helps you get the size and shapes of things established on the canvas. Intuitively it seems that you could paint colors right on the projected image and get a photoreal result.
In fact, this does not work. If you try it, you'll see why. The light projected by the lens obscures the color of the paint you are applying to the canvas. It makes the paint look too dark and too colorful. You must constantly turn on the light to see what color you have actually painted. There is simply no way to accurately compare the paint color to the projection. They interfere with each other.
Looking at Vermeer's paintings, it seemed to me that he must have had a way to not only trace the shapes, but capture the colors of a projected image. If he could do that, his paintings might be a form of photography, achieved not with film and chemicals, but with the human hand. Vermeer's paintings might be 350 year-old color photographs.
Vermeer's paintings: are they derived from 350 year old colo
Moderator: Super Moderators
Vermeer's paintings: are they derived from 350 year old colo
http://boingboing.net/2014/06/10/vermee ... ht-be.html
For if it profit, none dare call it Treason.
wonder if this is relevant, was looking into these the other day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_lucida
The heartbreaking necessity of lying about reality and the heartbreaking impossibility of lying about it.
― Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle
― Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle
Totally relevant. It is theorized that a modified lucida was used by Vermeer.Fan wrote: wonder if this is relevant, was looking into these the other day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_lucida
For if it profit, none dare call it Treason.
I saw this exhibition when I was in Amsterdam https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/explore-t ... es-vermeer
It is good stuff, not completely my cup of tea, but you can't help but be struck by the techniques he used.
It is good stuff, not completely my cup of tea, but you can't help but be struck by the techniques he used.
The heartbreaking necessity of lying about reality and the heartbreaking impossibility of lying about it.
― Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle
― Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle