Vermeer’s View of Delft: Technique, Context, and Meaning
View of Delft: Details
- Author: Vermeer, Jan
- Dated: 1658–1660
- Style: Baroque
- School: Holland
- Technique: Oil
- Support: Canvas, 98.5 x 118.5 cm
- Current Location: Mauritshuis, The Hague
Technical and Formal Analysis
Technical Elements
Vermeer shows a clear preference for blended yellow and blue. In View of Delft, yellow dominates the solid areas; it is brighter in the foreground, losing strength against the green on the other side of the border. Blue dominates the channel and also appears in the sky and some roofs.
Another remarkable aspect is the treatment of light. Specializing in soft light, Vermeer paints using a graduated range of colors. In View of Delft, Vermeer dissolves light using white. This is palpable in the middle of the painting, between the two towers. The brushwork is impeccable and detailed, and in some points, achieves a pointillé-like character. In terms of depth, the painting uses a scale of planes across three areas: the canal bank, the canal, and the city.
View of Delft displays the basic features of his style: a primary interest in the treatment of light, a palette based on blue, yellow, gray, black, and white, a feeling of stillness, and a balanced composition.
Formal Elements
The composition highlights the focal unity displayed across the full painting: the artist ensures no single item protrudes above the others. Even the large areas of sky are not relegated to a secondary role compared to the houses. Furthermore, Vermeer uses the treatment of light to draw our eyes toward the center of the composition.
Interpretation
Work Function
Vermeer is one of the most distinguished representatives of Dutch painters devoted to genre painting, especially interior scenes. It seems the artist created this painting intending to sell it. His patron, Pieter van Ruijven, bought a large part of his work and likely commissioned this piece.
Context: Historical, Cultural, Personal
Historical Context: In the seventeenth century, Holland was fighting against the Spanish Empire to achieve its independence. Upon achieving it, Holland established a republican regime, and later, a monarchist one. Holland became a rich country in full expansion, where merchants, burghers, and craftsmen traded and appreciated art. Unlike other contemporary artists, Vermeer devoted himself to genre painting, especially scenes reflecting the quiet and comfortable inner life of the bourgeoisie, as well as landscapes.
Relationships and Influences
Vermeer was neither significantly influenced by others for this work, nor did it directly influence subsequent artists.
Content and Meaning
Subject Matter: The panel depicts a scene from the artist’s life. Vermeer was born, lived, and died in Delft. The picture shows a view from the Kolk harbor, looking towards the city from the south-east, near the Rotterdam and Schiedam gates. On the right, the tower of the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) can be seen, where the painter was baptized. To the left is the tower of the Oude Kerk (Old Church), where he is buried. Vermeer signed the painting on the boat in the lower left.
Although recognizable today, this specific part of the city has changed.
Significance (Message): The author pays homage to and immortalizes the city where he was born, using the parameters found in all his paintings: each element enhances the feeling of calm, serenity, and silence.