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Vermeer's Camera : Uncovering the Truth Behind the Masterpieces P

Free US Delivery | ISBN:0192159674
Better World Books West
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Condition:
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Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition ... Read moreAbout condition
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eBay item number:277202425467
Last updated on 08 Aug, 2025 15:52:19 BSTView all revisionsView all revisions

Item specifics

Condition
Good
A book that has been read, but is in good condition. Minimal damage to the book cover eg. scuff marks, but no holes or tears. If this is a hard cover, the dust jacket may be missing. Binding has minimal wear. The majority of pages are undamaged with some creasing or tearing, and pencil underlining of text, but this is minimal. No highlighting of text, no writing in the margins, and no missing pages. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections. See all condition definitionsopens in a new window or tab
Seller notes
“Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition ...
Special Attributes
EX-LIBRARY
Publication Name
Oxford University Press, Incorporated
ISBN
9780192159670

About this product

Product Identifiers

Publisher
Oxford University Press, Incorporated
ISBN-10
0192159674
ISBN-13
9780192159670
eBay Product ID (ePID)
1789474

Product Key Features

Book Title
Vermeer's Camera : Uncovering the Truth Behind the Masterpieces
Number of Pages
222 Pages
Language
English
Topic
Individual Artists / General, European, History / General
Publication Year
2001
Illustrator
Yes
Genre
Art
Author
Philip Steadman
Format
Hardcover

Dimensions

Item Height
0.9 in
Item Weight
18.3 Oz
Item Length
9 in
Item Width
6.2 in

Additional Product Features

Intended Audience
Trade
LCCN
2001-269252
Dewey Edition
21
Reviews
"Vivid and impressive.... An experience that is closer to how we absorb the painter's intense, spooky, and perfectionistic work.... It's only in Steadman's presentation that I felt I came close to Vermeer himself."--Sanford Schwartz,The New York Review of Books, "Vivid and impressive.... An experience that is closer to how we absorb the painter's intense, spooky, and perfectionistic work.... It's only in Steadman's presentation that I felt I came close to Vermeer himself."--Sanford Schwartz, The New York Review of Books
Dewey Decimal
771
Table Of Content
Introduction1. The camera obscura2. The discovery of Vermeer's use of the camera3. Who taught Vermeer about optics?4. A room in Vermeer's house?5. Reconstructing the spaces in Vermeer's paintings6. The riddle of the Sphinx of Delft7. More evidence, from rebuilding Vermeer's studio8. Arguments against Vermeer's use of the camera9. The influence of the camera on Vermeer's painting styleAppendicesFurther ReadingA. Architectural features appearing in Vermeer's interiorsB. Measurements of Vermeer's room and furniture
Synopsis
Art historians have long speculated on how Vermeer achieved the uncanny mixture of detached precision, compositional repose, and perspective accuracy that have drawn many to describe his work as "photographic." Indeed, many wonder if Vermeer employed a camera obscura, a primitive form of camera, to enhance his realistic effects? In Vermeer's Camera, Philip Steadman traces the development of the camera obscura--first described by Leonaro da Vinci--weighs the arguments that scholars have made for and against Vermeer's use of the camera, and offers a fascinating examination of the paintings themselves and what they alone can tell us of Vermeer's technique. Vermeer left no record of his method and indeed we know almost nothing of the man nor of how he worked. But by a close and illuminating study of the paintings Steadman concludes that Vermeer did use the camera obscura and shows how the inherent defects in this primitive device enabled Vermeer to achieve some remarkable effects--the slight blurring of image, the absence of sharp lines, the peculiar illusion not of closeness but of distance in the domestic scenes. Steadman argues that the use of the camera also explains some previously unexplainable qualities of Vermeer's art, such as the absence of conventional drawing, the pattern of underpainting in areas of pure tone, the pervasive feeling of reticence that suffuses his canvases, and the almost magical sense that Vermeer is painting not objects but light itself. Drawing on a wealth of Vermeer research and displaying an extraordinary sensitivity to the subtleties of the work itself, Philip Steadman offers in Vermeer's Camera a fresh perspective on some of the most enchanting paintings ever created., Art historians have long speculated on how Vermeer achieved the uncanny mixture of detached precision, compositional repose, and perspective accuracy that have drawn many to describe his work as "photographic." Indeed, many wonder if Vermeer employed a camera obscura, a primitive form of camera, to enhance his realistic effects? In Vermeer's Camera , Philip Steadman traces the development of the camera obscura--first described by Leonaro da Vinci--weighs the arguments that scholars have made for and against Vermeer's use of the camera, and offers a fascinating examination of the paintings themselves and what they alone can tell us of Vermeer's technique. Vermeer left no record of his method and indeed we know almost nothing of the man nor of how he worked. But by a close and illuminating study of the paintings Steadman concludes that Vermeer did use the camera obscura and shows how the inherent defects in this primitive device enabled Vermeer to achieve some remarkable effects--the slight blurring of image, the absence of sharp lines, the peculiar illusion not of closeness but of distance in the domestic scenes. Steadman argues that the use of the camera also explains some previously unexplainable qualities of Vermeer's art, such as the absence of conventional drawing, the pattern of underpainting in areas of pure tone, the pervasive feeling of reticence that suffuses his canvases, and the almost magical sense that Vermeer is painting not objects but light itself. Drawing on a wealth of Vermeer research and displaying an extraordinary sensitivity to the subtleties of the work itself, Philip Steadman offers in Vermeer's Camera a fresh perspective on some of the most enchanting paintings ever created., Over 100 years of speculation and controversy surround claims that the great seventeenth-century Dutch artist, Johannes Vermeer, used the camera obscura to create some of the most famous images in Western art. This intellectual detective story starts by exploring Vermeer's possible knowledge of seventeenth-century optical science, and outlines the history of this early version of the photographic camera, which projected an accurate image for artists to trace. However, it is Steadman's meticulous reconstruction of the artist's studio, complete with a camera obscura, which provides exciting new evidence to support the view that Vermeer did indeed use the camera. These findings do not challenge Vermeer's genius but show how, like many artists, he experimented with new technology to develop his style and choice of subject matter. The combination of detailed research and a wide range of contemporary illustrations offers a fascinating glimpse into a time of great scientific and cultural innovation and achievement in Europe.
LC Classification Number
TR268.S74 2001

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