Vermeer and the Art of Painting. by Arthur K.

Wheelock,
Review by: Julie McGee
The Sixteenth Century Journal, Vol. 27, No. 4 (Winter, 1996), pp. 1237-1239
Published by: The Sixteenth Century Journal
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2544004 .
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 Book Reviews 1237

"WT. untotheReader"is an introduction to givethereader"therightway,yeaandthe

onlywayto understand thescripture untooursalvation." Partofthisis explaining themean-
ingofcertainwordswherethemedievalchurchhad alteredthemeaning. Repentance(not
penance)is one exampleas areTyndale's rejection ofauricular confessionandpriestly abso-
lution.Herewe findjustification byfaithandTyndale's covenant theplaceofworks
theology,
in theChristian life,andhisjustification forusing"elders"rather in histrans-
than"priests"
lationofchurchofficers. In theprologues to Hebrews,James, andJude,unlikeLuther,Tyn-
dale acceptsthemas canonicalandjustifies hisreasonsforacceptingthemas partofcanon
writing thatiftheyare"indifferently lookedon" we willsee thattheyagreewiththerestof
scriptures.
In readingthetextofTyndale's translation, thereaderis grippedandheldbyitsclearness
andrelevance whichis sometimes lackingin modernversions. In Paul'swritingswe canfeel
theurgency Paul feltin trying to gethismessageacross, andthestruggle of trying to write
as fastas hismindpouredforthhisthoughts. One examplefrom2 Corinthians 1:12 illus-
tratesthis."Our rejoicingis this,thetestimony of our conscience,thatin singleness and
godlypureness and notin fleshly wisdom,butbythegraceof God,we havehad our con-
versation in theworld,andmostofallto you-wards." Againstthis,mostmodernversions are
quitepedestrian in theirlanguage. ReadingTyndale's translations oftheOldTestament mate-
rialattheendoftheNewTestament, one feelshowwonderful itwouldhavebeenifTyndale
hadbeen sparedto translate thewholeoftheOld Testament. He was able to translatefrom
Genesisto theendof2 Chronicles beforehe wasmartyred.
The lastpage of thetranslation is entitled "These thingshaveI addedto fillup theleaf
withal,"whichis a seriesofinteresting exegesesoffivepassageswhichmighthavecausedhis
readersdifficulty. He ends by writingthatfaithin Christ means also keeping His
commandments.
Ralph S. Werrell................................................................ Kenilworth

Vermeer and the Art of Painting. ArthurK. Wheelock, Jr.New Haven and
London:Yale UniversityPress,1995. x + 205 pp. $45.00.
ThishandsomebookonVermeer isbutone ofmanypublications andpresentations ofthe
seventeenth-century Dutch artist's
workto becomeavailablein 1995.In November1995,
thelargesteverexhibition ofVermeer's openedatThe NationalGalleryinWash-
paintings
ington,D.C. Wheelock,Curatorof NorthernBaroquePaintingatThe NationalGallery,
coauthored thecatalogue(a separate
publication)fortheVermeer exhibition,a jointventure
withtheRoyalCabinetof Paintings MauritshuisinThe Hague.Those unableto travelto
Washington orThe Hague can accessinformation andimagespertaining to theexhibition,
Vermeer, and his home townof Delft,via theVermeerHome Page at http://www.ccsf.
caltech.edu/-roy/vermeer/.
This is notWheelock'sfirst book onVermeer, and one mightask whatnew is offered
here?Publishedin timefortheblockbuster Vermeerexhibition, itssuccessmaybe in its
appealto a nichemarket:admirers ofVermeer's paintingswho preferimmediate accessto the
paintedjewels.Issuesofhistory,provenance, andiconography as wellas problems in attribu-
tionplaysecondfiddleto theprimary taskWheelockhas setforhimselfhere,namelya
detailedvisualtourof seventeenpaintings byVermeer. The processof looking,visually
deconstructingVermeer's compositions,dominates Wheelock'stext.
DetailsconcerningVermeer's life(1632-1675)arescanty.He spentmostofhiscareerin
Delft,first in theArtisans'
registering Guildof SaintLuke in 1653. His own training and

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1238 Sixteenth XXVII / 4 (1996)
CenttiryJotirnal

whether he hadanypupilsremaina mystery.There areno extantdrawings, prints,or unfin-

ishedworksbyVermeer, noranyconcreteevidenceof specificcommissions. Onlythreeof
thethirty-six paintingsnowattributed toVermeeraredated.Vermeer was"rediscovered" by
thenineteenth-century FrenchcriticThor6-Biirger, who referred toJohannes (orJan)Ver-
meeras"The SphinxofDelft."It isprecisely theenigma, or auraofmystery surrounding the
thatdrivesus closerto thosedocuments
artist, thatdo survive-thepaintings themselves. As
one learnsfromtheVermeer WVWW Home Page,"Vermeer createdlusciouscanvases oflim-
itedscope,"returning overandoverto scenesofthehouseholdinterior whichincludedthree
or fewerfigures.
Wheelock'sbook considers seventeen paintings byVermeer, coveringthefullchronolog-
ical rangeof theartist's work,includingearlyreligiousand mythological paintings and the
renownedallegory, TheArtofPainting. Each painting is treatedseparately,forming theindi-
vidualchapters ofthebook.
Is it theimpulseto findtheartist withinthepaintedcompositions thatfosters thebur-
geoningliterature onVermeer? "Sincewe knowso littleabouthimfromdocuments," writes
MadlynKahr(DutchPainting in theSeventeenth Century, 2d ed.,1993),"we can onlyattempt
to gainsomeunderstanding oftheartist's character and temperament fromhisworks." Per-
hapsitis thefailure ofwordsto capturethevisualnatureofthesecompositions.John Nash,
Vermeer,1991,writes: "Vermeer's paintings can onlybe described. The description willalso
be an interpretation of thesignificance ofwhatis seen."HereinliesthekeytoWheelock's
undertaking. Descriptions ofVermeer's paintings, he posits,respondto theviewers'emo-
tionalinvolvement withtheworks.Likea resplendent sunset, thesimplicity andsplendor of
Vermeer's quietinterior scenesenticeeasily, eliciting one'sforemost emotional responses.
Wheelockintroduces hisreadersto a "wayoflooking"atVermeer. His goal is "to give
someframework to thesesubjective feelings bydelvingintotheprocessbywhichVermeer
arrivedat and createdhis images."Chapterby chapter, paintingby painting, Wheelock's
scrupulously detailedvisualanalysis leadsthereader'seyein and aroundthecompositions.
The working handoftheartist is brought to lifehere.
Wheelockselectsseveralworksexaminedrecently in museumlaboratories whichcould
providenew information onVermeer's paintingprocess.Infrared reflectography, neutron
autoradiography, x-radiographs, detailedexaminations of paintsamples, and surfacecondi-
tionsinform Wheelock'sdescriptions and conclusionsaboutVermeer's technique. Consid-
eredhereis farmorethanthesignificance ofwhatis seenwiththenakedeye.Yet Wheelock
remains "confident thata different choiceofpaintings wouldnothaveaffected thebasiccon-
clusionsaboutVermeer's stylisticevolution, norabouthis variouspainting techniquesand
theirrelationship to hissubjectmatter."
The book beginswitha briefhistory ofVermeer's life,theartisticmilieuin Delft,and a
synopsis of seventeenth-century interest in perspective, optics,and thecameraobscura.A
description ofVermeer's Woman in BlueReading a Letter follows, providing"an introduction
to thiswayoflooking."This wayoflookingis to studythestructure and executionof the
composition, understanding thatthisprocessitselfis "a meansforexploring theemotional
andintellectual framework withinwhicheachofhis [Vermeer's] workswascreated."
Wheelockproceedschronologically, beginning withVermeer's SaintPraxedis(1655) and
DianaandHerCompanions andendingwiththelateworks,The Guitar andLadyWriting
Player
a LetterwithHerMaid(early1670s).Thereaderis introduced to boththebetter andthelesser
knownworksbyVermeer. Each chapteris illustrated witha fullcolorplateand numerous
detailsin colorandblack-and-white. Comparanda, x-radiographs, andinfrared reflectograms
areincludedwhenappropriate. A concludingessay, "Vermeerand theCreatingofReality,"

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 BookReviews 1239

summarizes pointsmadethroughout thebook and is followedbya catalogueofthethirty-

fivepaintings considered autograph worksandone attributed painting, allillustratedinblack
and white.Bibliographicinformation is embeddedwithinthe endnotes.An index is
included.
WheelockpresentsVermeer as an artistin controlofhismedium.He exploresthematu-
rationofVermeer's style,movingfrom"earlierefforts to re-create thetextural and optical
qualitiesofobjectsandlightas a basisforhisimages"to"an interest in exploring theexpres-
sivepossibilities
oflight,color,andtexture as a meansforcreating an abstracted imageofthat
reality."He penetrates andmeticulously navigatesVermeer's paintedconstructions.This pro-
cessofunveiling creates severaltheoretical puzzles,nottheleastofwhichis thatthemodern
and technological "wayoflooking"is quitedifferent froma seventeenth-century wayof
looking.Despitethecompelling realismofVermeer's paintings, it is cleartheartistconsis-
tentlymanipulated His abilityto renderthetactilequalitiesof myriadobjectsand
reality.
materials is frequently coupledwithperspective and lightingsystems thatare"logically
inconsistent evenifcompositionally effective."
Wheelockdemonstrates thatinseekingreality in aVermeer painting one findsrepeatedly
distortion and manipulation. In fact,he notes,muchof theVermeerscholarship has been
concernedwiththemisconception thatVermeer depictedreality.The seventeenth-century
Dutchconceptofrealism "is farmorecomplexthanis generally recognized today." Realism
is notwhatwe haveassumedor projected itto be.Vermeer's reality "wasnota slavishimita-
tionoflifeitselfbutrather a selective reality [thathe] controlled andordered."
ForWheelock,Vermeer's illusionism is thetheoretical underpinning ofhiscompositions.
Perspective, forexample, doesnotcreateforemost a realistic
setting, butis an active,expres-
sivecomponentofthedesign.To suggest thatthereis inVermeer's worka kindofconceptual
separatefroma mappableor certainreality,
realism, isbothforceful andproblematic.To illus-
tratethisconceptualrealism,Wheelock mustprovethatVermeer's paintings are"distortions
ofreality."
Hence,we neverbreakfreeoftherestrictive dialecticofrealism versusillusionism.
Moreover, theconceptual realism relieslargely on today'sunderstanding ofthepainterly real-
ism,madepossibleby technological advancesin theconservation and examination of art
objects.J0rgenWadum,NationalGallery ofArt,Washington, andRoyalCabinetofPaintings,
Mauritshuis,The Hague exhibition catalogue,1995,believesthat"a trueunderstanding of
Vermeer's paintings cannotbe achievedwithouttechnological data."Fortunately, Wheelock
balancesthetechnological datawithhistory, theory,anda genuineadmiration of,ifnotrev-
erencefor,Vermeer's artofpainting.
JulieMcGee ....... Colby College

Jacobus Hoogstraeten gegen Johannes Reuchlin: Ein Beitrag zur

Geschichte des Antijudaismus im 16. Jahrhundert. Hans Peterse.Ver6f-
fentlichungendes InstitutsfurEuropdische Geschichte Mainz: Abteilung fur
abendlhndischeReligionsgeschichte,
bd. 16. Mainz:VerlagPhilipp von Zabern,
1995. 194 pp. n. p.
This Germantranslation ofa 1993 Leidendissertation
is currentlythebesttreatmentof
theReuchlinaffair in itslegal,theological,
andpoliticaldimensions.
The authorfocuseshis
interpretation
on thelittle-studied writings of theDominicaninquisitor, JacobusHoog-
straeten,
andhisalliesalongwiththeresponses ofthehumanist,Johannes Reuchlin,and his
supportersduringtheseconddecadeofthesixteenth century.Petersetakesintoaccountthe

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