The Church and the Clouds

In a couple of days we will be leaving Delft and Zuid-Holland, heading for the northern city of Haarlem. Before we leave I feel compelled to talk a bit about Johannes Vermeer, arguably one of the most famous Delvinites associated with the region.

Nieuwe Kerk, interior

The Crocker Art Museum does not hold any paintings by Vermeer in their collection, therefore his work is not a primary focus for my research. But his importance and influence in Delft cannot be overstated.

It was here in Delft at the Nieuwe Kerk that Vermeer was baptized 31 October 1632.

A record of this event exists in the archives, noting for posterity the name of Vermeer's father, Reynier Janszoon Vermeer, and mother, Digna Baltens. This is one of the few archival documents that exists about Vermeer's life.

baptismal record
31 Oct 1632
DTB Delft inv. 55 , fol. 119v

Vermeer's father moved from Amsterdam to Delft, where he became an art dealer. This early exposure to art and artists must have had an impact on the young Vermeer.

By the mid-17th century Delft was a thriving commercial city known for its trade, pottery and a loose collection of artists known as the Delft School.

These artists were revolutionary in their new approach to subject matter. Standard artistic subjects at the time included history paintings of Greek and Roman figures, or scenes from the Bible. Other acceptable subjects would be portraits of royal family members.

The Delft School, however, had branched away from these traditional topics. They were venturing into new territory with landscapes scenes, still lifes and domestic interiors. Young Vermeer was exposed to these new possibilities in art through his father and his father's acquaintances. It was a momentous influence.

View of Delft, Johannes Vermeer
c 1660, oil on canvas
38.0 in × 45.6 in

By 1660, young Vermeer was producing his own landscape scenes such as View of Delft. This is one of my personal favorites, and I usually introduce it to Humanities 310 students during our unit on Dutch art of the 17th century. Today this painting is housed in the Mauritshuis in Den Haag (The Hague).

When discussing this image, art historians usually emphasize Vermeer's use of light and shadow in the interplay of clouds and reflection on the water. The color palette is limited but the technique is sophisticated. This dichotomy is extended to the subject matter too. The sparse simplicity of the figures on the canal bank are contrasted against the compacted complexity of the city in the middle of the image. Yet fully a half of the entire canvas consists of clouds and sky, in a movement of atmosphere not unlike the sky outside my window right now. This dialectical approach, both in form and content, makes View of Delft a masterpiece.

a 21st century view of Delft

A few days ago, Hope and I walked to the vantage point from which Vermeer conceived this image. As it can be seen in the painting, the spire in the center of the photo is Nieuwe Kerk, the church where Vermeer was baptized. Although most of the buildings in the city have changed, there are two constants, then and now: the church and the clouds. God and nature, everlasting.