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In Quiet Light
A wonderful collection of poetry inspired by Vermeer’s famous portraits. Although the paintings of Jan Vermeer continue to be celebrated, very little is known about the painter himself—and still less about the women he painted. Who were they? What were their lives like? What thoughts, dreams, and desires might they yield up if we take the time to truly look at them? In this elegant volume Marilyn Chandler McEntyre asks these very questions, and she teases out intriguing possibilities in twenty poems arranged side by side with color reproductions of the paintings that inspired them. McEntyre has chosen eighteen of Vermeer’s famous women—including The Lacemaker, The Milkmaid, Girl with a Pearl Earring, and The Girl with a Red Hat—to wonder about. Rich with imagined detail, these poems each invite the reader to take a closer look at Vermeer’s portraits, to celebrate not only Vermeer’s artistry but also the significance of the women themselves. McEntyre thoughtfully imagines the personal lives of these women and attempts to capture what Vermeer himself saw in them—a contemplative exercise that illuminates the presence of grace in the ordinary moments of life. A wonderful blend of art and poetry, this volume offers a unique aesthetic experience for personal reflection.
71 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
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About the author
Marilyn Chandler McEntyre
24 books74 followersMarilyn Chandler McEntyre is a fellow of the Gaede Institute for the Liberal Arts at Westmont College, Santa Barbara, California, and she teaches at UC Berkeley. Her other books include Drawn to the Light: Poems on Rembrandt's Religious Paintings, In Quiet Light: Poems on Vermeer's Women, and Patient Poets: Illness from Inside Out.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 11, 2025
I loved the idea behind this book - of writing poetry to go with pieces of art! The poetry is worthy of reading in its own right, but also, adding it to my own “gazing on” of each painting made the experience of each painting so much richer.
March 22, 2022
I didn't enjoy this collection as much as some others by this author.
May 23, 2016
Initially, I was unhappy with this book. Somehow, I resented McEntyre telling me what Vermeer's subjects were thinking or what her life was like. I read it a second time and my response softened. Any reason to visit with Vermeer is a good thing.
The five-page introduction is stellar. After reading it, I was compelled to gaze—to really look—at each of the reproductions before I read the companion poem. For that alone, the book is worth it.
From the introduction:
"They [subjects of Vermeer's portraits] seem a radiant testimony to the painter's conviction that we are loved and held in the light."
What I particularly appreciated, especially in this age of distraction:
"To pause before a painting is already a form of consent: we must consent to adopt a point of view that is not our own, a moment that is not now, a world that is the province of someone else's imagination. The invitation is something like this: if you dwell here for a little while, I'll show you something you couldn't have seen otherwise. [...]
"Dwelling," for most of us, is a discipline that has to be learned and practiced. It has become increasingly hard, in a culture dominated by movement and speed, ... to pause and ponder the subtleties of a line, a ray of light, a nuance of color or tone. We must learn arduously what may have come more naturally in quieter times and places: to dwell on, dwell in, or dwell with an object of contemplation."
And here are some lines from her poems:
"Gathered on what we see,
filtered through lace, gleaming
on hair and polished wood, what we see
is always the light."
"How like tenderness, this look
of complete attention,"
"Mid-sentence she looks up, caught
on a snag of thought."
"Trained on the object, undistracted,
patient while the instrument swings
to its center and is still, she turns
this little task to prayer—if mindfulness is
prayer—to an exercise of love—if it is love
to be attentive to the thing at hand."
"Every body," she reminds us, "is a story. Tell it.
The story is in the shadows."
The five-page introduction is stellar. After reading it, I was compelled to gaze—to really look—at each of the reproductions before I read the companion poem. For that alone, the book is worth it.
From the introduction:
"They [subjects of Vermeer's portraits] seem a radiant testimony to the painter's conviction that we are loved and held in the light."
What I particularly appreciated, especially in this age of distraction:
"To pause before a painting is already a form of consent: we must consent to adopt a point of view that is not our own, a moment that is not now, a world that is the province of someone else's imagination. The invitation is something like this: if you dwell here for a little while, I'll show you something you couldn't have seen otherwise. [...]
"Dwelling," for most of us, is a discipline that has to be learned and practiced. It has become increasingly hard, in a culture dominated by movement and speed, ... to pause and ponder the subtleties of a line, a ray of light, a nuance of color or tone. We must learn arduously what may have come more naturally in quieter times and places: to dwell on, dwell in, or dwell with an object of contemplation."
And here are some lines from her poems:
"Gathered on what we see,
filtered through lace, gleaming
on hair and polished wood, what we see
is always the light."
"How like tenderness, this look
of complete attention,"
"Mid-sentence she looks up, caught
on a snag of thought."
"Trained on the object, undistracted,
patient while the instrument swings
to its center and is still, she turns
this little task to prayer—if mindfulness is
prayer—to an exercise of love—if it is love
to be attentive to the thing at hand."
"Every body," she reminds us, "is a story. Tell it.
The story is in the shadows."
February 2, 2024
3.5 stars. Lovely and contemplative, encouraging close attention. No poems were particularly weak, but none were particularly memorable, either. I liked the focus on the inner life of the models/subjects, rather than being purely descriptive.
April 17, 2025
In Quiet Light is a collection of poems written by Marilyn McEntyre about the women who are featured in Vermeer's paintings. Each poem describes what is occurring in the scene, and most importantly, what's going on inside of the leading lady.
The author notes at the beginning how she became engrossed in these paintings. And from what I read in here, most of them follow the same tone in Vermeer's work: quiet and scenic. I noticed in rereading this book, the author manages to also convey what art critics and historians have suggested in their research in deciphering the meaning of these works. Of course, some don't follow that and the author uses her own intuition for a few pieces. The poems show many different personalities of the women, but the main focus appears to be that each of them is attempting to achieve a peace of mind. As quiet as a Vermeer painting, this poetry book offers a nice introspective look to what defining artworks are.
The author notes at the beginning how she became engrossed in these paintings. And from what I read in here, most of them follow the same tone in Vermeer's work: quiet and scenic. I noticed in rereading this book, the author manages to also convey what art critics and historians have suggested in their research in deciphering the meaning of these works. Of course, some don't follow that and the author uses her own intuition for a few pieces. The poems show many different personalities of the women, but the main focus appears to be that each of them is attempting to achieve a peace of mind. As quiet as a Vermeer painting, this poetry book offers a nice introspective look to what defining artworks are.
July 21, 2013
A very lovely companion to the Atlanta Girl with the Pearl Earring show at the High Museum. This is a reread for me after decades -- bought as a gift after seeing Vermeer in NYC and my husband found it on the bookshelves and brought it down for me. It's definitely worth keeping on the bookshelves and revisiting in quiet moments with the beauty of Vermeer.
February 4, 2015
These poems are not showy, not complicated, not impressive. And yet, when I was finished reading the book, I knew I liked it a lot. I was better for reading it. The poems added story to art. And the stories matched the art: quiet, lovely, subtle.
June 28, 2011
Just okay. The phrase, 'Show, don't tell' comes to mind, though.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews