L'ambition de Vermeer

by Daniel Arasse

Né en 1944, normalien et agrégé de lettres classiques, directeur d'études à l'Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales, Daniel Arasse est décédé en décembre 2003. Auteur d'ouvrages remarquables comme Le Détail. Pour une histoire rapprochée de la peinture ou On n'y voit rien, traducteur de Vermeer, une biographie de John Michael Montias, il a rencontré également une grande audience avec la série intitulée Histoires de peintures diffusée sur France Culture. L'Ambition de Vermeer, texte majeur de l'un des plus brillants historiens d'art de ces trente dernières années, bénéficie ici de sa troisième impression.

Genres: Art, Art History

230 pages, Softcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

L'historien de l’art français, spécialiste de la Renaissance et de l'art italien.

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_A...

Reviews

[Margot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daniel Arasse is probably one of the greatest historian of arts of the 20th century. His vision of art is so accurate and articulate that I just dream of becoming like him.
His approach of Vermeer is as brilliant as the rest of his publications. It allows us to see how to study a painting properly, beynd the consideration of iconography that is sometimes making us blind to the rest of the aspects of a painting. A small encounter with Vermeer and his painting.... a book about a genius, written by a genius.

[miri · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only reason this isn’t a 5/5 was because it heavily deals with “Art of Painting” and “Allegory of Faith.” One could argue that “Girl with Pearl Earring” and “Woman Holding Balance” have been explored enough, but I still wanted Arasse’s point of view.
He describes Vermeer’s style as allusive and evocative, continuously in the paradox between proximity and isolation of genre paintings.
I found his hesitation in doing an iconographic approach in the name of anachronism quite interesting, since Vermeer’s paintings have weighted references (which he suggests should not be studied alone)
I enjoyed the writing, like “economizing allusions to the exterior world” as well as his beautiful exploration on light as coherence and accurate, not as theatrical.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up many years ago and still have the book. the plates are lovely.