Seeking Vermeer

In these circumstances Vermeer could see Suchness in all its heavenly beauty⁠—⁠could see and, in some small measure, render it⁠—⁠in a subtle and sumptuous still life.

Aldous Huxley, The Doors of Perception, 1954

There are only 37 known Vermeers, of which 35 are in public collections. My life's goal is to see all of them.

I have always had a great affinity for Vermeer. I am struck by how he uses light itself as a study and explores the domestic lives of women as a legitimate subject. Despite the intimate nature of his scenes, his paintings can be wildly allegorical, exploring painting itself, his complicated relationship with Catholicism, or they can be far simpler: a young woman looking steadily out across time, wearing her legendary pearl earring. Whatever the subject, his mastery is equally arresting. To weave such fine detail into such small canvases, to imbue the viewer with a sense of life so resplendent and rich though everyone depicted is long dead, and the artist too… it is nothing short of genius.

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