Vermeer

A young woman in an elegant dress stands before a heavy, mullioned-glass window whose leaded panes admit a cool, pure light that bathes the room and its contents in limpid color. In front of the woman, on a table draped with richly woven Oriental carpet, a silver pitcher and tray sit next to a carved jewelry box whose open lid reveals a knotted blue ribbon tied to a delicate string of pearls. Behind the woman, a golden-hued map hangs on the smoothly plastered wall. Who is this young woman, and what action has our intrusion interrupted?

John Michael Montias, 76, an economist who became a leading scholar on the painter Johannes Vermeer, died of cancer July 26 in Branford, Conn. Part of the Annales School of economists and historians, he was among those who promoted a new form of history by replacing study of major leaders and events with microstudy of ordinary people and occurrences. Through analysis of documents ranging from notes to legal papers, he explored the life of Vermeer, one of his favorite artists.

Everyone knows that art dies without a constant flow of new works, but that hasn't stopped any number of organizations from stubbornly wallowing in the past, relying on the tried-and-tired-and-true. The Ying Quartet, one of the bright, younger-generation lights on the chamber music scene for more than a decade now, took a bold stand against such self-defeating conservatism in 1999 by launching a project called LifeMusic. With support from the Institute for American Music, the quartet commissions two new works every year, one from an established American composer, the other by an emerging one. Each piece has only one requirement - that it describe in some way the American experience.

Everyone knows that art dies without a constant flow of new works, but that hasn't stopped any number of organizations from stubbornly wallowing in the past, relying on the tried-and-tired-and-true. The Ying Quartet, one of the bright, younger-generation lights on the chamber music scene for more than a decade now, took a bold stand against such self-defeating conservatism in 1999 by launching a project called LifeMusic. With support from the Institute for American Music, the quartet commissions two new works every year, one from an established American composer, the other by an emerging one. Each piece has only one requirement - that it describe in some way the American experience.

A pure, clear light falls across the young woman's face and spills over her spotless white collar and russet-colored blouse. It touches the blue and gold cloth wound around her hair and pools in a marvelous concatenation of highlight and shadow on the perfect oval of the large pearl earring hanging from her left earlobe. Jan Vermeer's luminous Girl With a Pearl Earring, which scholars believe was completed between 1665 and 1667, ranks among the artist's supreme masterpieces and is one of the most beautiful pictures in the world.

DELFT, the Netherlands - The inn where Johannes Vermeer was born is long gone, the building replaced by one now with a shuttered computer store. His house and studio were demolished more than a century ago. But Vermeer, the 17th-century master, still inhabits the town, much as the town will forever inhabit his work.In Vermeer's "View from Delft," one of his most famous works, the town's orange tile roofs sparkle in the sun. They still do. In the painting, the harbor could be mistaken for open sea. As it still can. After a three-month stay at the National Gallery in Washington, the painting has returned home to The Hague, five miles north of its namesake.

We think we know why Vermeer's serenely beautiful paintings move us, why it is we respond to them. They are superficially so straightforward -- one or two people in a room engaged in a mundane activity -- that we assume our entrancement is simply explained.It's the light, we think, or the quiet, or the crispness of the fabrics, or the way the artist could paint a pearl. Or maybe we yearn for a time as peaceful and uncomplicated as these paintings seem to reflect.But those who have organized the exhibit "Johannes Vermeer" at Washington's National Gallery and written its excellent catalog are here to teach us that what we're responding to is far more than that, even though we may not be conscious of it. Underlying those "simple" pictures is an art of subtlety and depth that exerts its spell on us in complex ways.

WASHINGTON -- With the government shutdown closing many popular museums here, thousands of people descended on the National Gallery of Art yesterday to see a major exhibit of paintings by Dutch master Johannes Vermeer that was reopened using private funds.Gallery officials borrowed $30,000 from the museum's private Fund for the International Exchange of Art to reopen the exhibit through Wednesday. It is the only U.S. showing of 21 of the 35 existing paintings by the 17th-century artist.The Vermeer reopening attracted out-of-town tourists and local art lovers, who lined up outside the building for hours yesterday to get same-day passes.

John Michael Montias, 76, an economist who became a leading scholar on the painter Johannes Vermeer, died of cancer July 26 in Branford, Conn. Part of the Annales School of economists and historians, he was among those who promoted a new form of history by replacing study of major leaders and events with microstudy of ordinary people and occurrences. Through analysis of documents ranging from notes to legal papers, he explored the life of Vermeer, one of his favorite artists.

WASHINGTON -- The most obvious sign of success for a blockbuster art show is a long line outside the museum, early and late, rain or shine. A less obvious sign, but at least indicative of a good run, is a line of any significant length at the ladies' room: It suggests there are a lot of people in the museum.All signs were positive at the National Gallery of Art earlier this week following Sunday's opening of "Picasso The Early Years, 1892-1906.""Our guard [on Monday] clocked in 1,200 in the first hour," said Deborah Ziska, the gallery's information officer.

Just before all the Thanksgiving meal gorging begins, you can feast on a wide assortment of musical appetizers, starting with visits by two first-rate string ensembles - the Ying and Vermeer quartets. Since earning the big-time Naumberg Chamber Music Award in 1993, the Ying Quartet has been riding high. It holds the titles of quartet-in-residence at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., and artists-in-residence at Harvard University. The players - all siblings of a Chicago family - have made a particularly strong commitment to American music through their LifeMusic program, launched in 1999, commissioning two new works each year.

A pure, clear light falls across the young woman's face and spills over her spotless white collar and russet-colored blouse. It touches the blue and gold cloth wound around her hair and pools in a marvelous concatenation of highlight and shadow on the perfect oval of the large pearl earring hanging from her left earlobe. Jan Vermeer's luminous Girl With a Pearl Earring, which scholars believe was completed between 1665 and 1667, ranks among the artist's supreme masterpieces and is one of the most beautiful pictures in the world.

A young woman in an elegant dress stands before a heavy, mullioned-glass window whose leaded panes admit a cool, pure light that bathes the room and its contents in limpid color. In front of the woman, on a table draped with richly woven Oriental carpet, a silver pitcher and tray sit next to a carved jewelry box whose open lid reveals a knotted blue ribbon tied to a delicate string of pearls. Behind the woman, a golden-hued map hangs on the smoothly plastered wall. Who is this young woman, and what action has our intrusion interrupted?

WASHINGTON -- The most obvious sign of success for a blockbuster art show is a long line outside the museum, early and late, rain or shine. A less obvious sign, but at least indicative of a good run, is a line of any significant length at the ladies' room: It suggests there are a lot of people in the museum.All signs were positive at the National Gallery of Art earlier this week following Sunday's opening of "Picasso The Early Years, 1892-1906.""Our guard [on Monday] clocked in 1,200 in the first hour," said Deborah Ziska, the gallery's information officer.

DELFT, the Netherlands - The inn where Johannes Vermeer was born is long gone, the building replaced by one now with a shuttered computer store. His house and studio were demolished more than a century ago. But Vermeer, the 17th-century master, still inhabits the town, much as the town will forever inhabit his work.In Vermeer's "View from Delft," one of his most famous works, the town's orange tile roofs sparkle in the sun. They still do. In the painting, the harbor could be mistaken for open sea. As it still can. After a three-month stay at the National Gallery in Washington, the painting has returned home to The Hague, five miles north of its namesake.

WASHINGTON -- With the government shutdown closing many popular museums here, thousands of people descended on the National Gallery of Art yesterday to see a major exhibit of paintings by Dutch master Johannes Vermeer that was reopened using private funds.Gallery officials borrowed $30,000 from the museum's private Fund for the International Exchange of Art to reopen the exhibit through Wednesday. It is the only U.S. showing of 21 of the 35 existing paintings by the 17th-century artist.The Vermeer reopening attracted out-of-town tourists and local art lovers, who lined up outside the building for hours yesterday to get same-day passes.

Just before all the Thanksgiving meal gorging begins, you can feast on a wide assortment of musical appetizers, starting with visits by two first-rate string ensembles - the Ying and Vermeer quartets. Since earning the big-time Naumberg Chamber Music Award in 1993, the Ying Quartet has been riding high. It holds the titles of quartet-in-residence at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., and artists-in-residence at Harvard University. The players - all siblings of a Chicago family - have made a particularly strong commitment to American music through their LifeMusic program, launched in 1999, commissioning two new works each year.

THE INSTANT people start talking about the deficit my eyelids droop, and off I go in the arms of Morpheus.The same goes for the late Kenneth Clark's famous 5,000-hour-long documentary, "Civilisation," which was a Christmas present. I try hard to watch some every night. It's supposed to be good for you, just as cutting the deficit and eating boring food are supposed to be good for you.Say this, however, for "Civilisation": It's better to look at than the typical platter of skin-free chicken, salt-free fish and taste-free broccoli served up in yuppie restaurants.

We think we know why Vermeer's serenely beautiful paintings move us, why it is we respond to them. They are superficially so straightforward -- one or two people in a room engaged in a mundane activity -- that we assume our entrancement is simply explained.It's the light, we think, or the quiet, or the crispness of the fabrics, or the way the artist could paint a pearl. Or maybe we yearn for a time as peaceful and uncomplicated as these paintings seem to reflect.But those who have organized the exhibit "Johannes Vermeer" at Washington's National Gallery and written its excellent catalog are here to teach us that what we're responding to is far more than that, even though we may not be conscious of it. Underlying those "simple" pictures is an art of subtlety and depth that exerts its spell on us in complex ways.

THE INSTANT people start talking about the deficit my eyelids droop, and off I go in the arms of Morpheus.The same goes for the late Kenneth Clark's famous 5,000-hour-long documentary, "Civilisation," which was a Christmas present. I try hard to watch some every night. It's supposed to be good for you, just as cutting the deficit and eating boring food are supposed to be good for you.Say this, however, for "Civilisation": It's better to look at than the typical platter of skin-free chicken, salt-free fish and taste-free broccoli served up in yuppie restaurants.