Art! Art! Art! › Works

The Art of Painting

Johannes Vermeer, 1660s

The Art of Painting by Johannes Vermeer belongs to the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Made in the 1660s and measuring 120 by 100 cm, it is one of Vermeer's larger pictures. It shows a painter, seen from behind, at work on a portrait of a young woman dressed as an allegorical figure.

Where to see it

The Art of Painting is held by the Kunsthistorisches Museum, which is listed as both its collection and its location. Display arrangements can change, so check the museum's official website for current display status, opening hours and ticket information before you visit. At 120 by 100 cm, the picture rewards two kinds of looking: a view from a few steps back to take in the whole stage-like room, and a closer look at details such as the map, the model's attributes and the painter's work in progress.

What to look for in person

A curtain drawn back like a stage

Start at the left edge. A heavy patterned tapestry hangs in the foreground and has been pulled aside, as if you have just been allowed into the room. Behind it a chair stands in the way, so the studio feels close but separate from you. Follow the black-and-white floor tiles inward and notice how they lead your eye to the easel. The light enters from the left, from a window hidden by the curtain, and falls across the model, the map and the table.

The model as Clio

The young woman wears a laurel wreath, holds a trumpet and carries a large book. Art historians widely identify her as Clio, the muse of history, following the attributes given in emblem handbooks of the period. Look at her lowered eyes and careful pose: she is clearly posing rather than caught in a moment. Then turn to the easel, where the painter has only just begun, sketching in the outline and painting the leaves of her wreath first.

The map on the back wall

The large wall map of the Netherlands fills much of the background. Look closely and you will see the folds and creases of its paper, catching the light, and small city views running along its side borders. Vermeer gives its surface as much attention as the figures. Look also along the map's lower edge near the model, where the artist's signature appears. The map is often read as a reference to the history of the Low Countries, linking it with Clio's role as muse of history.

About the painting

The Art of Painting, also known as The Allegory of Painting, is a picture about painting itself. Johannes Vermeer shows an artist in a studio, his back turned to us, dressed in a dark slashed doublet and a beret, a costume generally seen as old-fashioned for its time. He sits at his easel with a mahlstick, studying a model who poses as Clio, the muse of history, with a wreath, trumpet and book.

Rather than a record of a real working day, the scene is usually understood as an allegory: the painter brings history and fame together through his art. Objects on the table, including what appears to be a plaster mask and a large book, add to this sense of a carefully arranged statement. Unlike many of Vermeer's interiors, which show people absorbed in quiet domestic tasks, this picture presents an idea, staged with the curtain, the map and the falling light.

The painting is widely believed to have had special importance for Vermeer. It appears to have stayed with his family after his death, and his widow tried to keep it from being sold to settle debts. Its later history involved several owners before it came to the Kunsthistorisches Museum, which holds it today.

For visitors, it is worth spending time on contrasts: the soft focus of the foreground tapestry against the crisp map, the painter's half-finished work against the finished room around him, and the stillness of the whole scene. The picture was made in the 1660s and measures 120 by 100 cm.

Key facts

More by Johannes Vermeer

• The Concert
• The Girl with the Wine Glass
• The Lacemaker — Louvre Museum
• Girl Interrupted at her Music — The Frick Collection
• Woman with a Pearl Necklace — Gemäldegalerie Berlin
• Woman in Blue Reading a Letter — Rijksmuseum
• The Milkmaid — Rijksmuseum
• Girl with a Pearl Earring — Mauritshuis
• A Young Woman seated at a Virginal — National Gallery
• The Music Lesson
• A Young Woman Standing at a Virginal — National Gallery
• Diana and her Nymphs — Mauritshuis

Sources

• Wikidata Q588695
• www.khm.at