“The Proxy” is a painting by the Dutch artist Jan Vermeer , painted by him at the age of 24, in 1656. The artist’s first work in genre painting depicting a scene from everyday life, possibly in a brothel [2] , and different from earlier works on biblical and mythological themes. One of the three paintings, signed and dated by Vermeer (except for the " Astronomer " and " Geographer ").
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| Jan Vermeer | ||
| Provincial . 1656 year | ||
| niderl. De koppelaarster | ||
| Canvas, oil. 143 × 130 cm | ||
| Dresden Gallery , Dresden , Germany | ||
| ( inv. ) | ||
Content
- 1 Description
- 2 History
- 3 Criticism
- 4 notes
Description
The name of the picture, apparently, refers to a cunningly smiling woman in the black robe of a nun [3] . The person to her left, in a black beret, a doublet with slits, with a glass of beer in one hand and a cistern in the other, was identified as the author of the painting [4] . His appearance has a noticeable resemblance to the character of another Vermeer's work - “ Artist 's Studio ”. A soldier in a red coat, holding a young woman by the chest, throws a coin into her outstretched palm.
The voluminous jug - an example of Westerwald ceramics - stands on a kilim thrown over the balustrade with a colorful ornament. This oriental rug, possibly brought from Ushak [5] , occupies a good third of the picture. A five-button black cloak draped over it was added by Vermeer at the last stage of work on the painting.
History
Probably, Vermeer was influenced by paintings by Gerard Terborch of a similar theme and the “Fiancé” by Dirk van Baburen (c. 1622), which belonged to Maria Tins, the mother-in-law of Vermeer [6] .
Traces of the painting can be traced to 1696, when it was sold at an auction in Amsterdam under the name "Room with a fun company." Until 1741, it was in the Waldstein collection of Dux (now Dukhtsov ), after which it was acquired by August III , Elector of Saxony . In 1980, it was exhibited in the Old Museum of Berlin ( GDR ) [7] . Today it is stored in the Dresden Gallery .
Criticism
Many critics have noted the lack of coverage, which is atypical for Vermeer's works. Peter Svillens wrote in 1950 that if this painting belongs to Vermeer's brush at all, then it demonstrates the artist’s attempt to “find” a suitable form of expression. Edward Trautshold, however, wrote ten years earlier that the temperament of the 24-year-old Vermeer appeared for the first time and in full form in The Swinghouse [7] .
In his rather bold book, Vermeer's Family Secrets, art critic Benjamin Binstock suggested that the picture is a psychological portrait of the artist’s family [8] , in which he portrayed himself as a musician in the service of the mistress of a brothel, his wife Katarina as a harlot [9] , and brother Willem - a lustful soldier [10] . According to Binstock, this “dark and dark” picture does not bear any moralizing content [11] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 http://skd-online-collection.skd.museum/de/contents/showArtist?id=415421
- ↑ Mieke Bal , Bryan Gonzales. The Practice of Cultural Analysis: Exposing Interdisciplinary Interpretation, Stanford University Press, 1999, p. fifty.
- ↑ Binstock, p. 224.
- ↑ “The Procuress: Evidence for a Vermeer Self-Portrait” Retrieved September 13, 2010
- ↑ Onno Ydema (1991) Carpets and their Datings in Netherlandish Paintings, 1540-1700, p. 43, 44, 145. ISBN 90-6011-710-7
- ↑ John Michael Montias , Vermeer and His Milieu: A Web of Social History , Princeton University Press , 1991, p. 146.
- ↑ 1 2 Liedtke, Walter ; Michiel C. Plomp and Axel Ruger (2001) Vermeer and the Delft School. New Haven and London: Yale University Press . pp. 372, 374. ISBN 0-87099-973-7 .
- ↑ B. Binstock (2009) Vermeer's Family Secrets. Genius, Discovery, and the Unknown Apprentice ”, p. 81.
- ↑ Binstock, p. 231
- ↑ Binstock, p. 81-82.
- ↑ Binstock, p. 123, 85.