Critical Fortunes of Rembrandt and Vermeer

Michael Zell, associate professor; chair, Department of History of Art and Architecture, Boston University
Today Rembrandt and Vermeer largely define the Golden Age of Dutch painting. Chart their rise as paradigms of Dutch artistic culture through changing critical receptions.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015

[@incognito3620]

Museum of fine art , Boston is doing a great job bringing classic art to the masses with these lectures. It should be mandatory for anyone over 40 years of age. Classic Art needs to come into the light of the twenty first century.

[@adhoc9647]

What sticks in my mind most about Vermeer is how he was able to produce works that project such exquisite beauty, peace and tranquility when the world around him was anything but. RIP Johannus Vermeer.

[@omfug7148]

As much as I recognize Rembrandt's genius, it is Vermeer's work that I am passionate about.

[@renewillemsen5605]

Agreed!

[@edwin11373]

Everyone has their poison. I like both equally for different reasons.

[@nelsonx5326]

Both of them are astounding. Vermeer anyone can 'get' in a second. Rembrandt takes more viewer participation. I'll get up close to a Rembrandt and enjoy the things he does for different effects. If I was stuck in a cell for life and could have only one painting I'd choose a Rembrandt because I could see something new in it every day.

[@Luna-ri3cp]

Rembrandt - one of the greatest!!! he was a genius of his time..

[@renewillemsen5605]

Interesting and valueable.

[@nelsonx5326]

Vermeer inherited 500 gilders from a patrons wife. I was curious and found this... What was a guilder worth? | Lens on Leeuwenhoek Lensonleeuwenhoek.net/content/what-was-guilder-worth 5,000 guilders in the year 1655 was equivalent to 18.3 yearly wages of an unskilled worker. This roughly corresponds to 514,670 USD today. The International Institute of Social History (IISH) has a calculator that returns different results when queried in mid-2014. So, approximately 2 years of minimum wage back then, or 50,000 bucks now a days. Nice little cash injection.

[@jamesfrance9715]

With the blockbuster Vermeer exhibition running at the moment, I was wondering whether the 'allegation' that Vermeer used a camera obscura to create his works in any way undermines his reputation as a true great? Also, how could the camera obscura have been used to create an outdoor painting such as View of Delft?

[@naturelover1284]

People in the arts are wonderful to be around. I don't think the rest of society whom have no interest understand what cruel dunderheads they are to deal with. My experience is they love to destroy. Human grenades longing to make more of themselves only quite often.

[@hansstrik4704]

They both died in poverty !

[@adhoc9647]

THANK you, Mr. Zell, for this beautiful presentation of yours. As of October 7, 2022, we now know that "Girl with a flute" was also, uhm, not exactly a genuine Vermeer, although Han van Meegeren could not be blamed this time. (See NYTimes.com)