15. External CD-Rom, DVD, film material on Vermeer.

Part of an essay on Vermeer, brain channels, neural stimulus, visual perception and art appreciation

A 20,000-word essay on the interface between the fields of Vermeer, Art History and cognitive science, neuroscience and neuresthetics

written by Vermeer specialist, art historian Drs. Kees Kaldenbach, Amsterdam.

Chapters:

1) foreword
2) Introduction and terminology. houding, perception of reality, realism, illusionism and trompe l’oeil
3) Understanding Vermeer’s Perception of Reality; a Discussion of Characteristics
4) Brain and colour
5) Form as registered by the brain
6) Facial recognition, depth, movement, fine vs broad
7) Using this knowledge in studying and appreciating Vermeer
8) Workshop matters, Painters’ Supplies, Palette, The fijnschilder style versus the loose style, fourteen Qualities listed by Philips Angel
9) Naturalness, enticing the viewers
10) Delft artists influencing Vermeer
11) Vermeers Early, Middle, Late period. Camera Obscura
12) Vermeer’s World of Interiors: a Reality or a Construction
13) Landmark Vermeer literature (in print on paper form)
14) Digital Art History Studies and Presentations on Questions - on Perception of Reality in Vermeer Paintings
15) External CD-Rom, DVD, film material on Vermeer
16) Selected Bibliography

4.3 Section on external material



4.3.1 The 1 hour-long BBC2 program Johannes Vermeer, broadcast March 29, 2003 in the BBC series Secret life of the Artists.


4.3.1.1 Parties involved

Andrew Graham-Dixon acted as script writer, presenter and interviewer in this program, which was directed by Roger Parsons.

4.3 Section on external material



4.3.1 The 1 hour-long BBC2 program Johannes Vermeer, broadcast March 29, 2003 in the BBC series Secret life of the Artists.


4.3.1.1 Parties involved

Andrew Graham-Dixon acted as script writer, presenter and interviewer in this program, which was directed by Roger Parsons.


4.3.1.2 Interests

BBC 2 program managers are striving for high quality programming which does include documentary-type background items on the arts.
Vermeer was chosen as the second subject in this series, which started off with a documentary on Caravaggio.

4.3.1.3 Basic choices

The basic questions of this documentary is how in a family life full of turmoil and on the brink of economic downfall, Vermeer could have created such a world of women full of leisure and tranquillity,

The editor succeeds in interweaving voiceover-storytelling and on-camera presentation, and by holding interviews with research specialists who show archival documents.

Strong points are presenting actual archival documents in
Delft and Gouda (which is coming as close to Vermeer's time as we can) and
finding examples of 17th century interiors.
Many strong camera images and movements produced by the camera team and these were cut in wonderful expressive editing. During those winter days of film shooting the quality of sunlight was miraculous. It was a true pleasure to witness an interviewer and presenter who actually knew what he was talking about.

4.3.1.4 Learning activity / Visual imagination

The world, townscape and landscape of Vermeer days have long gone. Yet the selected visuals showing images of windmills, meadow landscape, with voice-over by the presenter worked well. A unifying trait was showing the presenter riding a simple bike through Dutch towns, speaking in monologues, and interviewing various specialists. These specialists included those on archival research, author John Michael Montias and members of the archival staff in Delft and Gouda. Also speaking to church warden on a church window (Gouda), and myself.
Turmoil of distressing events and shady characters in the homes of family members and the Maria Thins family and Johannes Vermeer himself were visualized with shaky camera movement, blurring, especially of Delft tiles and windmill images.
Apart from expressive camera work and editing I think that was the only visible trick used. In filming the Mauritshuis from a camera position on the street, much more than a glimpse of Girl with the Pearl Earring was shown in an odd light, size and scale, probably the result of some digital manipulation.

4.3.1.5 Evaluation

This BBC programme is a high quality production from the beginning to the end, going for a scientific approach full of probing questions. Not attempting to become facile or pretty or to give too many definite answers.




4.3.2 VHS-video Vermeer, Master of Light, National Gallery of Art Washington DC, 2001

In Washington DC the National Gallery of Art (NGA) museum premiere of the video Vermeer, Master of Light took place on September 18, 2001. The premiere of this 1 hour-long documentary was shown to the public at large on the non-commercial Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) on November 11th, 2001 and it was subsequently aired on more than 200 PBS stations in the USA and t was also commercially sold as a VHS video[1].

The Dutch premiere was in Delft on April 4, 2003 in the Technical University, using a professional Betacam video player and a high quality video beamer for an audience of about 200 people. The show was preceded by a short introduction by one of the creators, Arthur Wheelock, jr.
For brevity I will refer to this production as “the Washington video” or “video”.

Source http://www.icommag.com/february2002/feature_vermeer.html

(((((Source
Art Appreciation – Digital artists shed new light on the masterpieces of Johannes Vermeer
By Karen Moltenbrey
Computer Graphics World, may 2002)))))))



4.3.2.1 Parties involved

National Gallery of Art (NGA), Washington DC, is the home of three Johannes Vermeer paintings – two on canvas and one small one on panel - and furthermore one other panel painting now considered to be ‘school of Vermeer’. NGA curator Arthur Wheelock, jr. wrote his thesis on Perspective and Optics in Delft during the time of Vermeer. For the last three decades he has since been prolific as an author on Vermeer books and articles.
At the NGA internal and external affairs executive Joseph J. Krakora[2] was pivotal for the development of this video, acting as Director, Writer and Executive Producer. He developed the initial concept of a flow of images from nature and Vermeer paintings, image fade-overs, voice-overs and interviews..
Phil Gries, Director of photography succeeded in capturing the visual richness of Vermeer paintings and visual effects.
Three Vermeer specialists appeared on-camera with their testimonies:
Senior National Gallery restorer and conservation officer David Bull;
National Gallery Curator, art historian Arthur K. Wheelock, jr.; and his former university professor in art history Seymour Slive, of Harvard University.
A narration was finally overdubbed by the actress Meryl Streep.

Early on the NGA decided that the best result would be created by a slow-pace visual layering of Vermeer painting images, interwoven with images from natural light effects and digital images. A collaboration started between the NGA and Interface Media Group (IMG), a Washington company specializing in digital image technology. A team of IMG image wizards (all named below) provided various digital image manipulations, computer generated imaging of rooms and human figures and digital high magnification.
As part of the digital team, Carol Hilliard, Art Director and 3D Animator created the most striking visual sections of the documentary

4.3.2.2 Interests

The NGA wished to produce a professional one-hour high quality TV program and video on the mastery of light in Vermeer paintings – a video aimed at a wide audience.
The Folger Fund lent its name to this project by providing funding.



4.3.2.3 Basic choices

The video has used the possibilities of the medium of video to tell a story. Some of the story is about the life of Vermeer, but the major part focuses on his painting technique and paint layers. Compared to the regular art history medium of publishing articles in scientific books magazines, direct and major attention could be paid to the effects of colour, emotion and the atmosphere during the visual and verbal narration.[3]

The video starts with many minutes of calm visual introduction (showing bell towers of Delft; shots from far away and from within, then movements of clockwork mechanism, movement of clouds, followed by shots of shimmering of light outside and inside the water and under bridges). Two Dutch photographers had supplied a series of stills, which capture the atmosphere of Delft. These photographic stills were scanned and digitally sandwiched into the film and within the video they serve as homage to Delft.

The video makes repeated and full use of slow pan-movements across surfaces and even combination of a pan movements and a gradual movement zooming towards the surface. In this way a sense of visual closeness, and almost erotic caressing has been successfully embodied. In the final product it cannot be noticed whether these are actual camera movements or results of digital manipulation. During one of the zooming-ins the voiceover inquires: “What is it that draws us in?”

The video contains a number of exciting digital manipulations which form part if its excellence.
At the VHS video time counter reading 26 minutes the first obvious electronic wizardry is shown in analysing one of Vermeer's most spectacular paintings, The Music Lesson (Royal Collection, London / Windsor Castle). Various lighting, shadow and shading effects have been electronically altered and brought forward to explain how Vermeer worked his miracles.
It is not clear to me whether the lighting and shadow effects were realized with direct sunlight streaming into the room or a more diffused north light.

The video explains how Vermeer designed, constructed and crafted his paintings. In his 1660’s studio practice Vermeer started his perspective construction by using powdered wires or threads running from a central pinprick to the borders of the canvas. At the correct spot the wire was lightly plucked like a music string.[4] The result of this process was a series of faint powder lines all converging in a central pinprick vanishing point. These lines were then traced in paint. In the NGA video the traced lines resulting from this construction process were visually repeated by a computer graphics (cg) superimposing lines in space on top of a canvas.

On an IMG web site www.interfacevideo.com this process has been explained in detail:
“These discoveries are clearly illustrated in Interface's cg [computer graphics] renderings in which orthogonals (perspective lines) are animated over the objects to show Vermeer's strict use of vanishing points, while extensive lighting controls were key framed to animate shadows, light positions and intensity, illustrating Vermeer's manipulation of light in his paintings. Technicians scanned the rare paintings (only about 35 are known to exist) and used infrared photography to expose the layers of history and technique hidden beneath. Weingarten received sixty megabyte files of the drum scans, which he imported to inferno. "It was remarkable to be able to see the incredible detail. It is a view of each painting that you could never get in a museum." Even the featured curators were taken by surprise by some of the revelations such as sand in the paint's texture on the rooftops in View of Delft. In the case of The Music Lesson, intriguing discoveries were made. The exquisite painting features a young woman focused and sitting at a virginal as a man stands beside the instrument, looking on as she plays. But the mirror located on the wall, directly above her head, suggests a richer narrative, as we see her reflection gazing at the man. X-rays reveal that Vermeer had originally painted these figures with the female figure facing the man, while he was leaning closer into her.
Carol Hilliard began the arduous and exacting process of building a digital replica of The Music Lesson, to illustrate the story of one of the master's most remarkable works. In order to preserve the integrity of the painting, a high-resolution drum scan of the masterpiece was imported into Maya and used as a guideline for placement and scale of the 3D objects. These objects, or digital wire frames, were then built from information shown in the actual painting. Their shapes matching every object in the room – from virtual environment for the principal subjects, an exact parallel to Vermeer's painting. To further ensure that the cg model matched the painting, colors and textures were copied from the scan using Adobe Photoshop and then applied to the objects in Maya. Camera movements, or fly-throughs, were also engineered to emphasize details in the painting. The key framed movement of the 3D objects created a dramatic effect of the wire frame models springing to life.”

On the TV program or video tape the audience needed to be sure what they were looking at – either the image of the Vermeer painting or the digital effects. Carol Hilliard built a number of 3D Vermeer rooms and made a proper decision by retaining a wire frame appearance on most of the human models so that viewers would know what they were looking at.
"We were also able to pan around the room using 3D so that you can see the virginal from the side. From this perspective, one notices how Vermeer manipulated the tilt of the mirror so that the woman's reflection is visible."

Hilliard also built a digital 3D model of a camera obscura, a box-like device in the style of an early photographic camera, believed by many to have been essential in the preparatory phase of Vermeer's masterpieces. The 3D model shows how an upside down inverted image is shown within the camera obscura.


Technology

At IMG the final digital output, consisting of rendered images from the animations, were edited and ‘composited’ with an audio track. Hardware used was an SGI Onyx 2 workstation; the software used was Inferno and Fire by Discreet Logic. Rough cuts were previewed in Adobe AfterEffects. A TDZ workstation was used to process all 3D effects. These were created in Maya, running on an Intergraph. Finally colour correction was completed after trial screenings in the National Gallery's Theater to insure that the final colors matched in both TV screen and on projection.
In the post-production process ample use has been made of colorizing parts of both film and still images in order to achieve a visual unity. On my TV screen and during the beamed version in Delft the colours looked acceptable.
The colour balance of the painting ‘The View of Delft’ has however turned out very poor indeed; indicating that in the scanning process perhaps an old, pre-restoration ektachrome slide was used. If it was a post-restoration one, the colour correction was radically changed towards a faulty yellow hue.


Creation process

On the subject of the creation process the IMG web site states:
“The creation of this documentary was an ongoing collaborative and non-linear effort. Elements moved back and forth between suites and the artists, editors and the client were in constant communication.
The Interface Media Group team included Offline Editor Tony Black A.C.E.; Art Director / 3D Animator Carol Hilliard. Compositing was executed by Online Editor Brent Hufnagel, assisted by David Brier; inferno Artist / Compositor Jeff Weingarten, assisted by Kelly Wheaton; Sound Designer / Engineer Dennis Jacobsen, assisted by Steve Urban; and Colorist David Grey.”




4.3.2.4 Learning activity / Visual imagination

Slow camera movements, either from an actual physical video camera movement of from manipulation an electronic source, yields a lovingly gliding and sometimes zooming-in movement, almost resulting in an carezza over outer skin of Vermeer paintings. This said, the deep 3D optical effect of seeing an actual Vermeer painting surface in real life with one’s two eyes cannot be repeated at all in the present day video technology.

The sandwich of showing the actual works of art, alternated with statements by three specialists presenting their viewpoints and finally the voice-over creates a rich and pleasing texture.


Contents of the video:

0:00 Logo NGA
0:03 Reflections of light in nature
0:08 Voice-over on Vermeer’s art and the nature of his art
First statements on Vermeer by
Senior National Gallery conservation officer David Bull
National Gallery Curator, art historian Arthur K. Wheelock, jr.
Author and art historian Seymour Slive, Harvard University

0:17 First simple digital lines are superimposed on-screen
0:20 Analysis and 3D room version of The Music Lesson – human figures in wireframe
0:23 Manipulations of light, shadow, shade, light fill-ins
0:24 Locking couple in background by placing chair
0:26 30 degree angle tilt of mirror
0:27 Eliminated shadow of the virginal

0:35 The Red Hat painting is built up layer by layer
0:37 finishing touches of highlights

0:40 Camera obscura with light projection lines through lens
Out of focus character on the lion finials; atmospheric flowing of forms

0:46 Painting _____ Outline of arm added by restorer has been removed ; roll-over fade from pre to after-restoring.




4.3.2.5 Evaluation


On first impact I do rate this video as very positive because of
- Vermeer knowledge as told by major specialists.
- Didactic value of the digital manipulations
- Visual delight by approaching very close to the works of art.
- It is simultaneously aimed towards the layman and the specialist.

Within the framework of video technology the program is well edited and composed. No new knowledge has however been presented. Although in the video during a few instances a claim is made that a given observation was new, all knowledge and insights are derived from earlier books and art history magazine articles.

Technology advantages are limited:t the user pops the video in, sees it at a preferred moment and is able to rewind parts. Digital manipulations and other graphic works have been clearly marked.
Possible clashes with restoration ethics have been avoided in that respect.

The video would work if shown in a separate hall in a Museum environment – although the time would be too long for most museum audiences.

Third party evaluations:

On September 10, 2002 an Emmy award was presented to Carol Hilliard for outstanding technical achievements in creating this video. Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) Tuesday, September
The production company IMG’s digital work as a whole was also lauded. After working with the Interface team for over a year project Director / Writer / Executive Producer Joseph Krakora did not mince words:
"It was evident that every member of the Interface team is passionate
about what they do. They were consummate professionals
dedicated to the project and attuned to the creative concept."

The program was filmed on location in Washington D.C. and Delft, The Netherlands. The production was overseen by Joe Krakora who served as Director / Writer / Executive Producer for the project, and by Producer Ellen Bryant.
Additional special effects were provided by Bob Grove of the National Gallery of Art. The video had its world premiere screening at the National Gallery of Art in October 2001.




===================





4.3.3 Short item on 1) a scale model of a Vermeer interior by Philip Steadman: 1989, shown in the BBC2 programme ‘Take Nobody’s Word for it’, and 2) Steadman’s current home page 2003.

1) BBC 1 TV broadcast in the 18 minute programme showing ‘Take nobody’s word for it’
Discussed are the concepts of artistic license and liberty, transcribing the visual world into flat images. Steadman started out by calculating the room as 22 ft [6,70 meters] long studio with 3 windows. He proceeded to construct a
a 1/6 scale model in which he placed a technical plate camera.
The programme also discusses orthogonals converging on horizon, equalling the vanishing point on the level of painters eye. The lines of the floor tiles are also seen as receding to a distance point outside the picture, meeting on the horizon line. In a didactically very sound manner, these lines are shown superimposed on the Soldier and the Laughing Girl (Frick, NYC) and the Music Lesson (Buckingham Palace, London).
For a perfect re-creating of the viewing experience, Steadman says, the viewer’s eye should be on the level of the vanishing point and distance to painting must be equal to distance between vanishing point and distance point.



4.3.3.1 Parties involved
The staff of the BBC Science program ‘Take Nobody’s Word for it’, usually focused on a wide scope of science matters, usually not art-related matters.


4.3.3.2 Interests

Before 1989, Philip Steadman was developing his theories on Vermeer using a Camera Obscura, which starts from the premise of Vermeer using a room-size sit-in box type of Camera Obscura.
In order to create visually stunning footage, the BBC production team also built a full size replica of the room shown in The Music Lesson (Windsor Castle) in which actors moves about in a re-created stage set, the female presenter plays the role of the woman and Steadman being the man in the painting.

4.3.3.3 Basic choices

The basic idea of understanding Vermeer paintings as representations of actual rooms from his home may be derived from Swillens.[5] Steadman takes the concept much further, using refined optical knowledge and a set op measurements.
Recreating the painting in a scale model, using a photographic camera as a scaled down model of the pre-supposed Vermeer sit-in type of camera obsura.
Dressed dolls are used in order to enliven the scale model.
Recreating the painting as a full-scale studio set also fits in this concept. The actors were wearing full period dress.


4.3.3.4 Learning activity / Visual imagination

Didactically very good. The TV-public which could only see this program just once (VCR’s not being common yet as household appliances in those days) would be able to follow the line of reasoning.


4.3.3.5 Evaluation

Whether or not Steadman’s theory of Vermeer using a sit-in type of camera obscura is correct or faulty, the case made through visuals and text is didactically very well handled.




4.3.4 CD-rom on four Vermeer paintings by National Gallery Washington / Multimedia Corporation.

Title: “Vermeer: an exploration of the artist and his techniques” is the first in a series of CD-ROMs for the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
It was published in conjunction with the Vermeer exhibition in the National Gallery, Washington DC and Mauritshuis, Den Haag in 1995-1996.
The Dutch edition of this CD-rom, issued by Alpha CRC in 1996 has been analysed here. I take it that only the voiceovers were different from the original version.

4.3.3.1 Parties involved
National Gallery Washington, , Arthur Wheelock, jr., curator of northern baroque painting at the National Gallery is the author and (in the English edition) narrator.
Multimedia Corporation as publisher (USA)
Alpha CRC and Mauritshuis, The Hague as co-publishers (The Netherlands)


4.3.3.2 Interests
National Gallery Washington, Arthur Wheelock, jr. presents a digital presentation of current knowledge on Vermeer
Multimedia Corporation put together the CD-rom as a commercial product
Dutch publishers Alpha CRC and Mauritshuis, The Hague issued a low-cost Dutch adaptation of this USA production.


4.3.3.3 Basic choices

The CD-rom contains short AVI movies presented as static low-tech slide shows with a number of fade-overs from image to image within each movie. In a 800x600 computer screen resolution, most works are shown on my iMac screen in less than a regular postcard size. This actually belies the promise on the CD-rom jacket text promising a full computer screen presentation
Hardly any explanatory graphics are moving on-screen (except for the movie on Balance which shows some perspective lines being drawn on-screen)
No camera movement is zooming in closely for a loving intimate visual exploration.
Many fine details of Pearl (in file PAVC.MOV) are given without clear internal structure or explanatory voice-over.

In one movie of Mauritshuis restorer Jorgen Wadum he is seen explaining the trick of construction of perspective lines with a chalky cord - with a voice-over.
Movie about Dutch landscape, Delft & religion is DHVITIME.MOV

Voice-over text on NatGall material originally written by Wheelock sometimes too self-assured (stellig) in iconographic position.
For example in section on meaning of mirror and light in Balance.

Successful fade-overs on cleanings pearl earring 1904-to now in PPEARING.MOV.

Cleaning View of Delft shown with fade-over from dirty to half-clean stills and then a few seconds of dissolving by paintbrush. DACTRT.MOV
Idem View of Delft with fade-over from painting to x-ray and back.

View of Delft film DARREAL.MOV the comment stated that the tower has been shown too small; the reverse is true; ut is op proper size and about twice too wide.
Gives stills of people in foreground but does not use fade-in or face-out in showing the man which was painted out DPFIGURE.MOV
DPHARBOR.MOV
Very good close up stills show qualities of details of this painting ; some sections consist of paint mixed with sand or glass.

RedHat film with girl walking and appearing in a Camera Obscura glass. RAOPTD.MOV

Line indicating upper part of chair and misalignment of finials is drawn in the film in RPLIONH.MOV


Dutch language edition: Casting of the Dutch a male voice-over is problematic – as the speaker uses his voice in a highly melodic way while his tone- inflections are mainly unrelated to contents or didactics, thus in fact superfluous and detracting from the contents. The word ‘glacis’ should be pronounced ‘glacis’.
Wadum’s voice in his explanation of the Pearl Earring has been cut away and replaced.

4.3.3.4 Learning activity / Visual imagination

Choosing, clicking, watching, listening.
Technology is very limited, basically reduced to a digital slide show with voice-over. A few fade-overs from visible light to X-ray images etc. do not quite salvage the project.
Just a few real-time movies are included. Just a few after-effects showing the structure of Vermeer paintings.

4.3.3.5 Evaluation

Is this CD-rom intuitive, efficient, enjoyable? From the opening screen the four paintings which are discussed are easy enough to navigate. Thus the CD-rom would work well in a museum environment, geared for a public of lay persons.

The CD-rom contents and the applied technology are is quite meager in a number of respects and thus disappointing.
The movie images on this CD-rom consist of about 98% static images in a fade-over slide show, presented with a voice-over. Only fade-overs between stills are the staple of this product. Are these deficiencies a result of conscious choice for financial reasons or do they show a lack of didactic knowledge or imagination?

Within the limitations of 1996 technology the following list of options would have been well manageable in the making of the 100 short movies on this CD-rom:
- Horizontal or diagonal pan movements as if camera follows an image
- progressive zooming in or zooming out of details
- more sophisticated use of didactic layers and fade-overs of cutouts. Blocking out parts of the composition would show the visual role of given sections within the painting.
- more zooming between layers showing technical qualities such as: natural light, raking light, x-ray in various densities, infrared reflectography, autoradiography.
- Paint cross-sections or coupes showing deep layers or paint



Third party evaluations.
Here is what one quite upbeat critic wrote:
“Finally we come to my personal favorite, it's a new disc and it kept me gripped like none of the others. ‘Vermeer’ conjures a poised, enthralling and completely sympathetic setting, the perfect environment for an appreciation of this wonderful artist's technique and vision. Totally successful, ‘Vermeer’ is a genuinely lovable piece of work and comes highly recommended. As this comprehensive exploration of art-based CD-ROMs comes to an end, there could be no better omen for their future development and success. " Today Magazine
Selected as & Best Fine Arts CD-ROM; by ‘CD-ROM Today’ magazine. ‘Vermeer’ also received a 9 out of 10 rating from the prestigious London Times.


4.3.1.2 Interests

BBC 2 program managers are striving for high quality programming which does include documentary-type background items on the arts.
Vermeer was chosen as the second subject in this series, which started off with a documentary on Caravaggio.

4.3.1.3 Basic choices

The basic questions of this documentary is how in a family life full of turmoil and on the brink of economic downfall, Vermeer could have created such a world of women full of leisure and tranquillity,

The editor succeeds in interweaving voiceover-storytelling and on-camera presentation, and by holding interviews with research specialists who show archival documents.

Strong points are presenting actual archival documents in
Delft and Gouda (which is coming as close to Vermeer's time as we can) and
finding examples of 17th century interiors.
Many strong camera images and movements produced by the camera team and these were cut in wonderful expressive editing. During those winter days of film shooting the quality of sunlight was miraculous. It was a true pleasure to witness an interviewer and presenter who actually knew what he was talking about.

4.3.1.4 Learning activity / Visual imagination

The world, townscape and landscape of Vermeer days have long gone. Yet the selected visuals showing images of windmills, meadow landscape, with voice-over by the presenter worked well. A unifying trait was showing the presenter riding a simple bike through Dutch towns, speaking in monologues, and interviewing various specialists. These specialists included those on archival research, author John Michael Montias and members of the archival staff in Delft and Gouda. Also speaking to church warden on a church window (Gouda), and myself.
Turmoil of distressing events and shady characters in the homes of family members and the Maria Thins family and Johannes Vermeer himself were visualized with shaky camera movement, blurring, especially of Delft tiles and windmill images.
Apart from expressive camera work and editing I think that was the only visible trick used. In filming the Mauritshuis from a camera position on the street, much more than a glimpse of Girl with the Pearl Earring was shown in an odd light, size and scale, probably the result of some digital manipulation.

4.3.1.5 Evaluation

This BBC programme is a high quality production from the beginning to the end, going for a scientific approach full of probing questions. Not attempting to become facile or pretty or to give too many definite answers.




4.3.2 VHS-video Vermeer, Master of Light, National Gallery of Art Washington DC, 2001

In Washington DC the National Gallery of Art (NGA) museum premiere of the video Vermeer, Master of Light took place on September 18, 2001. The premiere of this 1 hour-long documentary was shown to the public at large on the non-commercial Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) on November 11th, 2001 and it was subsequently aired on more than 200 PBS stations in the USA and t was also commercially sold as a VHS video[6].

The Dutch premiere was in Delft on April 4, 2003 in the Technical University, using a professional Betacam video player and a high quality video beamer for an audience of about 200 people. The show was preceded by a short introduction by one of the creators, Arthur Wheelock, jr.
For brevity I will refer to this production as “the Washington video” or “video”.

Source http://www.icommag.com/february2002/feature_vermeer.html




4.3.2.1 Parties involved

National Gallery of Art (NGA), Washington DC, is the home of three Johannes Vermeer paintings – two on canvas and one small one on panel - and furthermore one other panel painting now considered to be ‘school of Vermeer’. NGA curator Arthur Wheelock, jr. wrote his thesis on Perspective and Optics in Delft during the time of Vermeer. For the last three decades he has since been prolific as an author on Vermeer books and articles.
At the NGA internal and external affairs executive Joseph J. Krakora[7] was pivotal for the development of this video, acting as Director, Writer and Executive Producer. He developed the initial concept of a flow of images from nature and Vermeer paintings, image fade-overs, voice-overs and interviews..
Phil Gries, Director of photography succeeded in capturing the visual richness of Vermeer paintings and visual effects.
Three Vermeer specialists appeared on-camera with their testimonies:
Senior National Gallery restorer and conservation officer David Bull;
National Gallery Curator, art historian Arthur K. Wheelock, jr.; and his former university professor in art history Seymour Slive, of Harvard University.
A narration was finally overdubbed by the actress Meryl Streep.

Early on the NGA decided that the best result would be created by a slow-pace visual layering of Vermeer painting images, interwoven with images from natural light effects and digital images. A collaboration started between the NGA and Interface Media Group (IMG), a Washington company specializing in digital image technology. A team of IMG image wizards (all named below) provided various digital image manipulations, computer generated imaging of rooms and human figures and digital high magnification.
As part of the digital team, Carol Hilliard, Art Director and 3D Animator created the most striking visual sections of the documentary

4.3.2.2 Interests

The NGA wished to produce a professional one-hour high quality TV program and video on the mastery of light in Vermeer paintings – a video aimed at a wide audience.
The Folger Fund lent its name to this project by providing funding.



4.3.2.3 Basic choices

The video has used the possibilities of the medium of video to tell a story. Some of the story is about the life of Vermeer, but the major part focuses on his painting technique and paint layers. Compared to the regular art history medium of publishing articles in scientific books magazines, direct and major attention could be paid to the effects of colour, emotion and the atmosphere during the visual and verbal narration.[8]

The video starts with many minutes of calm visual introduction (showing bell towers of Delft; shots from far away and from within, then movements of clockwork mechanism, movement of clouds, followed by shots of shimmering of light outside and inside the water and under bridges). Two Dutch photographers had supplied a series of stills, which capture the atmosphere of Delft. These photographic stills were scanned and digitally sandwiched into the film and within the video they serve as homage to Delft.

The video makes repeated and full use of slow pan-movements across surfaces and even combination of a pan movements and a gradual movement zooming towards the surface. In this way a sense of visual closeness, and almost erotic caressing has been successfully embodied. In the final product it cannot be noticed whether these are actual camera movements or results of digital manipulation. During one of the zooming-ins the voiceover inquires: “What is it that draws us in?”

The video contains a number of exciting digital manipulations which form part if its excellence.
At the VHS video time counter reading 26 minutes the first obvious electronic wizardry is shown in analysing one of Vermeer's most spectacular paintings, The Music Lesson (Royal Collection, London / Windsor Castle). Various lighting, shadow and shading effects have been electronically altered and brought forward to explain how Vermeer worked his miracles.
It is not clear to me whether the lighting and shadow effects were realized with direct sunlight streaming into the room or a more diffused north light.

The video explains how Vermeer designed, constructed and crafted his paintings. In his 1660’s studio practice Vermeer started his perspective construction by using powdered wires or threads running from a central pinprick to the borders of the canvas. At the correct spot the wire was lightly plucked like a music string.[9] The result of this process was a series of faint powder lines all converging in a central pinprick vanishing point. These lines were then traced in paint. In the NGA video the traced lines resulting from this construction process were visually repeated by a computer graphics (cg) superimposing lines in space on top of a canvas.

On an IMG web site www.interfacevideo.com this process has been explained in detail:
“These discoveries are clearly illustrated in Interface's cg [computer graphics] renderings in which orthogonals (perspective lines) are animated over the objects to show Vermeer's strict use of vanishing points, while extensive lighting controls were key framed to animate shadows, light positions and intensity, illustrating Vermeer's manipulation of light in his paintings. Technicians scanned the rare paintings (only about 35 are known to exist) and used infrared photography to expose the layers of history and technique hidden beneath. Weingarten received sixty megabyte files of the drum scans, which he imported to inferno. "It was remarkable to be able to see the incredible detail. It is a view of each painting that you could never get in a museum." Even the featured curators were taken by surprise by some of the revelations such as sand in the paint's texture on the rooftops in View of Delft. In the case of The Music Lesson, intriguing discoveries were made. The exquisite painting features a young woman focused and sitting at a virginal as a man stands beside the instrument, looking on as she plays. But the mirror located on the wall, directly above her head, suggests a richer narrative, as we see her reflection gazing at the man. X-rays reveal that Vermeer had originally painted these figures with the female figure facing the man, while he was leaning closer into her.
Carol Hilliard began the arduous and exacting process of building a digital replica of The Music Lesson, to illustrate the story of one of the master's most remarkable works. In order to preserve the integrity of the painting, a high-resolution drum scan of the masterpiece was imported into Maya and used as a guideline for placement and scale of the 3D objects. These objects, or digital wire frames, were then built from information shown in the actual painting. Their shapes matching every object in the room – from virtual environment for the principal subjects, an exact parallel to Vermeer's painting. To further ensure that the cg model matched the painting, colors and textures were copied from the scan using Adobe Photoshop and then applied to the objects in Maya. Camera movements, or fly-throughs, were also engineered to emphasize details in the painting. The key framed movement of the 3D objects created a dramatic effect of the wire frame models springing to life.”

On the TV program or video tape the audience needed to be sure what they were looking at – either the image of the Vermeer painting or the digital effects. Carol Hilliard built a number of 3D Vermeer rooms and made a proper decision by retaining a wire frame appearance on most of the human models so that viewers would know what they were looking at.
"We were also able to pan around the room using 3D so that you can see the virginal from the side. From this perspective, one notices how Vermeer manipulated the tilt of the mirror so that the woman's reflection is visible."

Hilliard also built a digital 3D model of a camera obscura, a box-like device in the style of an early photographic camera, believed by many to have been essential in the preparatory phase of Vermeer's masterpieces. The 3D model shows how an upside down inverted image is shown within the camera obscura.


Technology

At IMG the final digital output, consisting of rendered images from the animations, were edited and ‘composited’ with an audio track. Hardware used was an SGI Onyx 2 workstation; the software used was Inferno and Fire by Discreet Logic. Rough cuts were previewed in Adobe AfterEffects. A TDZ workstation was used to process all 3D effects. These were created in Maya, running on an Intergraph. Finally colour correction was completed after trial screenings in the National Gallery's Theater to insure that the final colors matched in both TV screen and on projection.
In the post-production process ample use has been made of colorizing parts of both film and still images in order to achieve a visual unity. On my TV screen and during the beamed version in Delft the colours looked acceptable.
The colour balance of the painting ‘The View of Delft’ has however turned out very poor indeed; indicating that in the scanning process perhaps an old, pre-restoration ektachrome slide was used. If it was a post-restoration one, the colour correction was radically changed towards a faulty yellow hue.


Creation process

On the subject of the creation process the IMG web site states:
“The creation of this documentary was an ongoing collaborative and non-linear effort. Elements moved back and forth between suites and the artists, editors and the client were in constant communication.
The Interface Media Group team included Offline Editor Tony Black A.C.E.; Art Director / 3D Animator Carol Hilliard. Compositing was executed by Online Editor Brent Hufnagel, assisted by David Brier; inferno Artist / Compositor Jeff Weingarten, assisted by Kelly Wheaton; Sound Designer / Engineer Dennis Jacobsen, assisted by Steve Urban; and Colorist David Grey.”




4.3.2.4 Learning activity / Visual imagination

Slow camera movements, either from an actual physical video camera movement of from manipulation an electronic source, yields a lovingly gliding and sometimes zooming-in movement, almost resulting in an carezza over outer skin of Vermeer paintings. This said, the deep 3D optical effect of seeing an actual Vermeer painting surface in real life with one’s two eyes cannot be repeated at all in the present day video technology.

The sandwich of showing the actual works of art, alternated with statements by three specialists presenting their viewpoints and finally the voice-over creates a rich and pleasing texture.


Contents of the video:

0:00 Logo NGA
0:03 Reflections of light in nature
0:08 Voice-over on Vermeer’s art and the nature of his art
First statements on Vermeer by
Senior National Gallery conservation officer David Bull
National Gallery Curator, art historian Arthur K. Wheelock, jr.
Author and art historian Seymour Slive, Harvard University

0:17 First simple digital lines are superimposed on-screen
0:20 Analysis and 3D room version of The Music Lesson – human figures in wireframe
0:23 Manipulations of light, shadow, shade, light fill-ins
0:24 Locking couple in background by placing chair
0:26 30 degree angle tilt of mirror
0:27 Eliminated shadow of the virginal

0:35 The Red Hat painting is built up layer by layer
0:37 finishing touches of highlights

0:40 Camera obscura with light projection lines through lens
Out of focus character on the lion finials; atmospheric flowing of forms

0:46 Painting _____ Outline of arm added by restorer has been removed ; roll-over fade from pre to after-restoring.



Analytical parts outstanding
(((((add here))))))

4.3.2.5 Evaluation


On first impact I do rate this video as very positive because of
- Vermeer knowledge as told by major specialists.
- Didactic value of the digital manipulations
- Visual delight by approaching very close to the works of art.
- It is simultaneously aimed towards the layman and the specialist.

Within the framework of video technology the program is well edited and composed. No new knowledge has however been presented. Although in the video during a few instances a claim is made that a given observation was new, all knowledge and insights are derived from earlier books and art history magazine articles.

Technology advantages are limited:t the user pops the video in, sees it at a preferred moment and is able to rewind parts. Digital manipulations and other graphic works have been clearly marked.
Possible clashes with restoration ethics have been avoided in that respect.

The video would work if shown in a separate hall in a Museum environment – although the time would be too long for most museum audiences.

Third party evaluations:

On September 10, 2002 an Emmy award was presented to Carol Hilliard for outstanding technical achievements in creating this video. Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) Tuesday, September
The production company IMG’s digital work as a whole was also lauded. After working with the Interface team for over a year project Director / Writer / Executive Producer Joseph Krakora did not mince words:
"It was evident that every member of the Interface team is passionate
about what they do. They were consummate professionals
dedicated to the project and attuned to the creative concept."

The program was filmed on location in Washington D.C. and Delft, The Netherlands. The production was overseen by Joe Krakora who served as Director / Writer / Executive Producer for the project, and by Producer Ellen Bryant.
Additional special effects were provided by Bob Grove of the National Gallery of Art. The video had its world premiere screening at the National Gallery of Art in October 2001.




===================





4.3.4 Short item on 1) a scale model of a Vermeer interior by Philip Steadman: 1989, shown in the BBC2 programme ‘Take Nobody’s Word for it’, and 2) Steadman’s current home page 2003.

1) BBC 1 TV broadcast in the 18 minute programme showing ‘Take nobody’s word for it’
Discussed are the concepts of artistic license and liberty, transcribing the visual world into flat images. Steadman started out by calculating the room as 22 ft [6,70 meters] long studio with 3 windows. He proceeded to construct a
a 1/6 scale model in which he placed a technical plate camera.
The programme also discusses orthogonals converging on horizon, equalling the vanishing point on the level of painters eye. The lines of the floor tiles are also seen as receding to a distance point outside the picture, meeting on the horizon line. In a didactically very sound manner, these lines are shown superimposed on the Soldier and the Laughing Girl (Frick, NYC) and the Music Lesson (Buckingham Palace, London).
For a perfect re-creating of the viewing experience, Steadman says, the viewer’s eye should be on the level of the vanishing point and distance to painting must be equal to distance between vanishing point and distance point.



4.3.3.1 Parties involved
The staff of the BBC Science program ‘Take Nobody’s Word for it’, usually focused on a wide scope of science matters, usually not art-related matters.


4.3.3.2 Interests

Before 1989, Philip Steadman was developing his theories on Vermeer using a Camera Obscura, which starts from the premise of Vermeer using a room-size sit-in box type of Camera Obscura.
In order to create visually stunning footage, the BBC production team also built a full size replica of the room shown in The Music Lesson (Windsor Castle) in which actors moves about in a re-created stage set, the female presenter plays the role of the woman and Steadman being the man in the painting.

4.3.3.3 Basic choices

The basic idea of understanding Vermeer paintings as representations of actual rooms from his home may be derived from Swillens.[10] Steadman takes the concept much further, using refined optical knowledge and a set op measurements.
Recreating the painting in a scale model, using a photographic camera as a scaled down model of the pre-supposed Vermeer sit-in type of camera obsura.
Dressed dolls are used in order to enliven the scale model.
Recreating the painting as a full-scale studio set also fits in this concept. The actors were wearing full period dress.


4.3.3.4 Learning activity / Visual imagination

Didactically very good. The TV-public which could only see this program just once (VCR’s not being common yet as household appliances in those days) would be able to follow the line of reasoning.


4.3.3.5 Evaluation

Whether or not Steadman’s theory of Vermeer using a sit-in type of camera obscura is correct or faulty, the case made through visuals and text is didactically very well handled.




4.3.4 CD-rom on four Vermeer paintings by National Gallery Washington / Multimedia Corporation.

Title: “Vermeer: an exploration of the artist and his techniques” is the first in a series of CD-ROMs for the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
It was published in conjunction with the Vermeer exhibition in the National Gallery, Washington DC and Mauritshuis, Den Haag in 1995-1996.
The Dutch edition of this CD-rom, issued by Alpha CRC in 1996 has been analysed here. I take it that only the voiceovers were different from the original version.

4.3.3.1 Parties involved
National Gallery Washington, , Arthur Wheelock, jr., curator of northern baroque painting at the National Gallery is the author and (in the English edition) narrator.
Multimedia Corporation as publisher (USA)
Alpha CRC and Mauritshuis, The Hague as co-publishers (The Netherlands)


4.3.3.2 Interests
National Gallery Washington, Arthur Wheelock, jr. presents a digital presentation of current knowledge on Vermeer
Multimedia Corporation put together the CD-rom as a commercial product
Dutch publishers Alpha CRC and Mauritshuis, The Hague issued a low-cost Dutch adaptation of this USA production.


4.3.3.3 Basic choices

The CD-rom contains short AVI movies presented as static low-tech slide shows with a number of fade-overs from image to image within each movie. In a 800x600 computer screen resolution, most works are shown on my iMac screen in less than a regular postcard size. This actually belies the promise on the CD-rom jacket text promising a full computer screen presentation
Hardly any explanatory graphics are moving on-screen (except for the movie on Balance which shows some perspective lines being drawn on-screen)
No camera movement is zooming in closely for a loving intimate visual exploration.
Many fine details of Pearl (in file PAVC.MOV) are given without clear internal structure or explanatory voice-over.

In one movie of Mauritshuis restorer Jorgen Wadum he is seen explaining the trick of construction of perspective lines with a chalky cord - with a voice-over.
Movie about Dutch landscape, Delft & religion is DHVITIME.MOV

Voice-over text on NatGall material originally written by Wheelock sometimes too self-assured (stellig) in iconographic position.
For example in section on meaning of mirror and light in Balance.

Successful fade-overs on cleanings pearl earring 1904-to now in PPEARING.MOV.

Cleaning View of Delft shown with fade-over from dirty to half-clean stills and then a few seconds of dissolving by paintbrush. DACTRT.MOV
Idem View of Delft with fade-over from painting to x-ray and back.

View of Delft film DARREAL.MOV the comment stated that the tower has been shown too small; the reverse is true; ut is op proper size and about twice too wide.
Gives stills of people in foreground but does not use fade-in or face-out in showing the man which was painted out DPFIGURE.MOV
DPHARBOR.MOV
Very good close up stills show qualities of details of this painting ; some sections consist of paint mixed with sand or glass.

RedHat film with girl walking and appearing in a Camera Obscura glass. RAOPTD.MOV

Line indicating upper part of chair and misalignment of finials is drawn in the film in RPLIONH.MOV


Dutch language edition: Casting of the Dutch a male voice-over is problematic – as the speaker uses his voice in a highly melodic way while his tone- inflections are mainly unrelated to contents or didactics, thus in fact superfluous and detracting from the contents. The word ‘glacis’ should be pronounced ‘glacis’.
Wadum’s voice in his explanation of the Pearl Earring has been cut away and replaced.

4.3.3.4 Learning activity / Visual imagination

Choosing, clicking, watching, listening.
Technology is very limited, basically reduced to a digital slide show with voice-over. A few fade-overs from visible light to X-ray images etc. do not quite salvage the project.
Just a few real-time movies are included. Just a few after-effects showing the structure of Vermeer paintings.

4.3.3.5 Evaluation

Is this CD-rom intuitive, efficient, enjoyable? From the opening screen the four paintings which are discussed are easy enough to navigate. Thus the CD-rom would work well in a museum environment, geared for a public of lay persons.

The CD-rom contents and the applied technology are is quite meager in a number of respects and thus disappointing.
The movie images on this CD-rom consist of about 98% static images in a fade-over slide show, presented with a voice-over. Only fade-overs between stills are the staple of this product. Are these deficiencies a result of conscious choice for financial reasons or do they show a lack of didactic knowledge or imagination?

Within the limitations of 1996 technology the following list of options would have been well manageable in the making of the 100 short movies on this CD-rom:
- Horizontal or diagonal pan movements as if camera follows an image
- progressive zooming in or zooming out of details
- more sophisticated use of didactic layers and fade-overs of cutouts. Blocking out parts of the composition would show the visual role of given sections within the painting.
- more zooming between layers showing technical qualities such as: natural light, raking light, x-ray in various densities, infrared reflectography, autoradiography.
- Paint cross-sections or coupes showing deep layers or paint



Third party evaluations.
Here is what one quite upbeat critic wrote:
“Finally we come to my personal favorite, it's a new disc and it kept me gripped like none of the others. ‘Vermeer’ conjures a poised, enthralling and completely sympathetic setting, the perfect environment for an appreciation of this wonderful artist's technique and vision. Totally successful, ‘Vermeer’ is a genuinely lovable piece of work and comes highly recommended. As this comprehensive exploration of art-based CD-ROMs comes to an end, there could be no better omen for their future development and success. " Today Magazine
Selected as & Best Fine Arts CD-ROM; by ‘CD-ROM Today’ magazine. ‘Vermeer’ also received a 9 out of 10 rating from the prestigious London Times.

Notes

[1] “PBS, headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, is a private, non-profit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 349 public television stations. A trusted community resource, PBS uses the power of noncommercial television, the Internet and other media to enrich the lives of all Americans through quality programs and education services that inform, inspire and delight. Available to 99 percent of American homes with televisions and to an increasing number of digital multimedia households, PBS serves nearly 100 million people each week.” Source: http://www.pbs.org/insidepbs/index.html
[2] Krakora quotation from
http://millimeter.com/ar/video_art_artist/
“You have to understand, Vermeer was an expert at not just painting environments as he saw them, but actually creating environments,” [...] “There are no edges in his work, it's all precise, yet looks soft, and the manipulation of light and color is amazing. In this documentary, we use computers to deconstruct his process, to actually reverse it, to show you what Vermeer did from the beginning, how he manipulated his environment as he worked. It's a whole new way of viewing classic art — we can show more than you could ever see with the naked eye.”
Biographical data on Joseph J. Krakora, from
http://www.artfilm.sk/film2002/vermeer.html
Krakora received B.A. Theatre Arts at the Denison University in 1961. 1964-1967 graduate student at Union Theological Seminary specializing in religious drama. He was an executive producer of films and television series on art, Special Advisor of The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and currently is an Executive Officer, External and Internal Affairs in National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.
He produced the series The Dance Masters, Cabaret and O'Neill: The Man and the Mask, and Reflections films: The Story of the Exhibition Treasure Houses of Britain, Matisse in Nice, Light of the Gods, presented at the 7th FIFA, Collecting America: Folk Art and the Shelburne Museum, Paul Gauguin: The Savage Dream, presented at the 7th FIFA, Feast of the Gods and Art of Indonesia: Tales from the Shadow World, all shown at the 9th FIFA, Voices in Celebration et Masters of Illusion, selected for the 10th FIFA, together with cd-roms on Vermeer, Bellini and Ginevra's Story.
[3] Remarks made by Arthur K. Wheelock in a discussion with me in Delft on April 4, 2003.
[4] Jorgen Wadum in the Vermeer catalogue Washington / The Hague
[5] Swillens 1950.
[6] “PBS, headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, is a private, non-profit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 349 public television stations. A trusted community resource, PBS uses the power of noncommercial television, the Internet and other media to enrich the lives of all Americans through quality programs and education services that inform, inspire and delight. Available to 99 percent of American homes with televisions and to an increasing number of digital multimedia households, PBS serves nearly 100 million people each week.” Source: http://www.pbs.org/insidepbs/index.html
[7] Krakora quotation from
http://millimeter.com/ar/video_art_artist/
“You have to understand, Vermeer was an expert at not just painting environments as he saw them, but actually creating environments,” [...] “There are no edges in his work, it's all precise, yet looks soft, and the manipulation of light and color is amazing. In this documentary, we use computers to deconstruct his process, to actually reverse it, to show you what Vermeer did from the beginning, how he manipulated his environment as he worked. It's a whole new way of viewing classic art — we can show more than you could ever see with the naked eye.”
Biographical data on Joseph J. Krakora, from
http://www.artfilm.sk/film2002/vermeer.html
Krakora received B.A. Theatre Arts at the Denison University in 1961. 1964-1967 graduate student at Union Theological Seminary specializing in religious drama. He was an executive producer of films and television series on art, Special Advisor of The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and currently is an Executive Officer, External and Internal Affairs in National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.
He produced the series The Dance Masters, Cabaret and O'Neill: The Man and the Mask, and Reflections films: The Story of the Exhibition Treasure Houses of Britain, Matisse in Nice, Light of the Gods, presented at the 7th FIFA, Collecting America: Folk Art and the Shelburne Museum, Paul Gauguin: The Savage Dream, presented at the 7th FIFA, Feast of the Gods and Art of Indonesia: Tales from the Shadow World, all shown at the 9th FIFA, Voices in Celebration et Masters of Illusion, selected for the 10th FIFA, together with cd-roms on Vermeer, Bellini and Ginevra's Story.
[8] Remarks made by Arthur K. Wheelock in a discussion with me in Delft on April 4, 2003.
[9] Jorgen Wadum in the Vermeer catalogue Washington / The Hague
[10] Swillens 1950.

1) Foreword
2) Introduction and terminology. houding, perception of reality, realism, illusionism and trompe l’oeil
3) Understanding Vermeer’s Perception of Reality; a Discussion of Characteristics
4) Brain and colour
5) Form as registered by the brain
6) Facial recognition, depth, movement, fine vs broad
7) Using this knowledge in studying and appreciating Vermeer
8) Workshop matters, Painters’ Supplies, Palette, The fijnschilder style versus the loose style, fourteen Qualities listed by Philips Angel
9) Naturalness, enticing the viewers
10) Delft artists influencing Vermeer
11) Vermeers Early, Middle, Late period. Camera Obscura
12) Vermeer’s World of Interiors: a Reality or a Construction
13) Landmark Vermeer literature (in print on paper form)
14) Digital Art History Studies and Presentations on Questions - on Perception of Reality in Vermeer Paintings
15) External CD-Rom, DVD, film material on Vermeer
16) Selected Bibliography

Contact information for Private Art Tours:

Menu of tours. See client testimonials.

Drs. Kees Kaldenbach , kalden@xs4all.nl

Haarlemmermeerstraat 83 hs

1058 JS Amsterdam

The Netherlands

telephone 020 - 669 8119

(from abroad NL +20 - 669 8119)

cell phone 06 - 2868 9775

(from abroad NL +6 - 2868 9775

Please note: All materials presented on this 2000+ item web site are original and therefore copyrighted. If passages are quoted (in essays, dissertations, books or other works, written or otherwise) then references must be made in the proper way. That is, the quoted passages must be attributed to the author, and the source of the material (i.e. this website) must be cited.

Written 2002-2003. Published online, July 17, 2011. Updated July 12, 2016.

"I detected one misprint, but to torture you I will not tell you where."
Winston Churchill to T.E. Lawrence, re Seven Pillars of Wisdom