Vermeer's Camera: Uncovering the Truth behind the Masterpieces
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Vermeer's Camera: Uncovering the Truth behind the Masterpieces Details
Review "Vermeer's Camera offers a fresh perspective on some of the most exceptional paintings ever created."--Gadfly"Did the rise of photography prepare the way for Vermeer's rediscovery after two centuries of neglect? More than that, Steadman argues in his new book, 'Vermeer's Camera,' Vermeer may have paved the way for photography itself by his use of a camera obscura. Most art historians now believe that Vermeer used this optical convenience, but no one has taken more trouble to prove it than Steadman."--San Francisco Chronicle"Of the three new approaches to the painter, Philip Steadman's Vermeer's Camera is the most vivid and impressive.... In its chief thesis, that Vermeer used an optical device, a camera obscura, to make his paintings, it may even be dead wrong. Yet reading about how Vermeer might have used such an aid presents, at least in Steadman's telling, an experience that is closer to how we absorb the painter's intense, spooky, and perfectionistic work than Liedtke's or Bailey's accounts. It's only in Steadman's presentation that I felt I came close to Vermeer himself."--Sanford Schwartz, The New York Review of Books"This geometer and architect will add a new dimension to the literature on Vermeer."--Times Literary Supplement Read more About the Author Philip Steadman is Professor of Urban and Built Form Studies, University College London. Read more
Reviews
Steadman certainly did his research and calculations--all of which he tells you in sufficient detail so that you'll understand it all. Steadman explains the evidence he compiled to arrive at the conclusion that Vermeer certainly used an optical device to achieve his spectacular results. A couple of details may be still unsettled, but the evidence is convincing. Vermeer's wonderful paintings are by no means diminished: an artist can use whatever it takes to achieve the results he wants.One warning--do not get this book in the Kindle format. You need to go back and forth to refer to the diagrams and pictures that illustrate the text, a process I couldn't figure out on my Kindle--not to mention annoying.
