9 juni 2010

Girl with a Pearl Earring






Have a look at the last photo from here! Jennifer - Chalk art.

I have read the book - do you want to do that too?



Griet (Scarlett Johansson) is a young woman living in the Netherlands in the 1660s. Her father, a ceramic painter, has recently gone blind, rendering him unable to work and putting his family in dire straits. Griet is subsequently sent to work as a maid in the home of the painter Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth).

In the course of their interactions as master and servant, Vermeer and Griet become casually acquainted and he learns of her interest in painting and her knowledge of color and artistic composition. Vermeer subsequently begins giving her lessons in mixing paints and other tasks, taking care to keep their meetings secret from his wife Catharina (Essie Davis), who would react very negatively if she found out that Griet and Vermeer were spending so much time together. In contrast, Vermeer's pragmatic mother-in-law (Judy Parfitt) sees Griet as a catalyzing and stabilizing force in Vermeer's career. On a routine trip outside the house, Griet also befriends a young man named Pieter (Cillian Murphy), the Vermeers' butcher's son, who is quickly taken with her, though she is slow to return his affections. Vermeer's patron Van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson) sees Griet on a visit to the Vermeer household and asks the painter if he will give her up to him to work in his own house. When Vermeer refuses, Van Ruijven commissions him to paint a portrait of Griet for him. Vermeer accepts the commission, both to remain in Van Ruijven's good graces and because of his own fascination with Griet. As Vermeer secretly works on the eponymous painting, he and Griet grow closer. While Griet suffers through her fascination with Vermeer and his paintings, she also has to fend off Van Ruijven's attempt to rape her (which is thwarted when Catharina calls for Griet)

. Soon afterward, Catharina's mother summons Griet and informs her that Catharina is to be away for the day, then hands over her daughter's pearl earrings and instructs Griet to finish the painting today. After the final painting session in which Vermeer pierces Griet's earlobe so she can wear one of his wife's pearl earrings for the portrait, Griet returns the earrings to Catharina's mother and runs to Pieter to be consoled.

Catharina's growing jealousy of Griet becomes more and more apparent, and she finally discovers the theft of her earrings, accusing her mother of complicity and ordering Vermeer to show her the painting he and Griet have been working on. Heartbroken that Vermeer does not consider her worthy of being painted because she "doesn't understand," Catharina banishes Griet from the house forever. Vermeer does not object, and Griet leaves the house in shock. Later, she is visited by one of her friends from the house, who comes bearing a gift: a sealed packet containing the blue scarf she wore in the painting, which is wrapped around Catharina's pearl earrings.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

One more cool chalk drawing!

The painting - Artist Johannes Vermeer
Year circa 1665
Type Oil on canvas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girl_with_a_Pearl_Earring