Why is Vermeer's "Girl with the Pearl Earring" considered a masterpiece? - James Earle

Prevodilac: Ivana Krivokuća Lektor: Tijana Mihajlović

Is she turning towards you or away from you?

Da li se okreće ka vama ili od vas?

No one can agree.

Niko ne može da se usaglasi.

She's the mysterious subject of Dutch master Johannes Vermeer's

Ona je misteriozno lice na slici holandskog majstora Johanesa Vermera

"Girl with the Pearl Earring,"

„Devojka sa bisernom minđušom“,

a painting often referred to as the 'Mona Lisa of the North.'

o kojoj se često govori kao o „Mona Lizi severa“.

Svojstvena holandskom stilu idealizovanih, ponekad previše ekspresivnih slika

Belonging to a Dutch style of idealized, sometimes overly expressive paintings

poznatih kao „troni“,

known as tronies,

the "Girl with the Pearl Earring" has the allure

„Devojka sa bisernom minđušom“ poseduje privlačnost i suptilnost

and subtlety characteristic of Vermeer's work.

karakteristične za Vermerova dela.

But this painting stands apart from the quiet narrative scenes

Međutim, ova slika se izdvaja od mirnih narativnih prizora

that we observe from afar in many of Vermeer's paintings.

koje posmatramo izdaleka na mnogim Vermerovim slikama.

„Devojka čita pismo“.

A girl reading a letter.

A piano lesson.

„Čas klavira“.

A portrait artist at work.

„Portret umetnika koji stvara“.

These paintings give us a sense of intimacy while retaining their distance,

Ove slike nam pružaju osećaj intimnosti dok čuvaju odstojanje,

pri čemu navučena zavesa često naglašava razdvojenost.

a drawn curtain often emphasizes the separation.

We can witness a milkmaid serenely pouring a bowl of milk,

Možemo prisustvovati dok mlekarica spokojno sipa mleko u činiju,

but that milk isn't for us.

ali to mleko nije za nas.

We're only onlookers.

Mi smo samo posmatrači.

Izučavana kompozicija na Vermerovim slikama

The studied composition in Vermeer's paintings

invokes a balanced harmony.

priziva uravnoteženu harmoniju.

With the checkered floor in many of his works,

Pomoću podova poput šahovske table na mnogim svojim delima,

Vermeer demonstrates his command of perspective and foreshortening.

Vermer demonstrira svoje vladanje perspektivom i perspektivnim skraćenjem.

That's a technique that uses distortion

To je tehnika koja koristi distorziju

to give the illusion of an object receding into the distance.

da bi stvorila iluziju predmeta koji nestaje u daljini.

Other elements, like sight lines, mirrors, and light sources

Drugi elementi poput vidnih linija, ogledala i izvora svetlosti

describe the moment through space and position.

opisuju trenutak kroz prostor i položaj.

The woman reading a letter by an open window

Žena koja čita pismo pored otvorenog prozora

is precisely placed so the window can reflect her image back to the viewer.

je postavljena upravo tako da prozor može da reflektuje njen lik ka posmatraču.

Vermeer would even hide the leg of an easel for the sake of composition.

Vermer bi čak sakrio nogu slikarskog stalka zarad kompozicije.

Odsustvo upravo ovih elemenata oživljava „Devojku sa bisernom minđušom“.

The absence of these very elements brings the "Girl with the Pearl Earring" to life.

Vermeer's treatment of light and shadow, or chiaroscuro,

Vermerov pristup svetla i senke, ili kiaroskura,

uses a dark, flat background to further spotlight her three-dimensionality.

koristi tamnu, ravnu pozadinu

da bi dodatno naglasio njenu trodimenzionalnost.

Instead of being like a set piece in a theatrical narrative scene,

Umesto da bude komad postavke na pozorišnoj narativnoj sceni,

she becomes a psychological subject.

ona postaje psihološki subjekat.

Her eye contact and slightly parted lips, as if she is about to say something,

Njen kontakt očima i blago razdvojene usne,

kao da će upravo nešto reći,

draw us into her gaze.

uvlače nas u njen pogled.

Traditional subjects of portraiture were often nobility or religious figures.

Tradicionalno su teme portreta bili članovi plemstva ili verske figure.

So why was Vermeer painting an anonymous girl?

Pa, zašto je Vermer slikao anonimnu devojku?

In the 17th century, the city of Delft, like the Netherlands in general,

U 17 veku, grad Delft, kao i Holandija uopšte,

had turned against ruling aristocracy and the Catholic church.

okrenuo se protiv aristokratije na vlasti i katoličke crkve.

Nakon osam decenija pobune protiv španske sile,

After eight decades of rebellion against Spanish power,

the Dutch came to favor the idea of self-rule and a political republic.

Holanđani su počeli da gaje naklonost

prema ideji samoupravljanja i političke republike.

Cities like Delft were unsupervised by kings or bishops,

Gradovi poput Delfta bili su bez nadzora kraljeva ili biskupa,

so many artists like Vermeer were left without traditional patrons.

pa su mnogi umetnici kao što je Vermer ostali bez tradicionalnih pokrovitelja.

Fortunately, business innovation

Srećom, poslovne inovacije

spearheaded by the Dutch East India Company

koje je predvodila „Holandska istočnoindijska kompanija“

transformed the economic landscape in the Netherlands.

preobrazile su ekonomske prilike u Holandiji.

Ovim je stvorena trgovačka klasa i nova vrsta pokrovitelja.

It created a merchant class and new type of patron.

Wishing to be represented in the paintings they financed,

U želji da budu predstavljeni na slikama koje su finansirali,

these merchants preferred middle class subjects

ovi trgovci su davali prednost licima srednje klase

depicted in spaces that looked like their own homes

prikazivanim u prostorima koja su izgledala kao njihovi domovi,

surrounded by familiar objects.

okruženim poznatim predmetima.

The maps that appear in Vermeer's paintings, for example,

Mape koje se javljaju na Vermerovim slikama, na primer,

were considered fashionable and worldly

smatrane su modernim i svetskim među trgovačkom klasom

by the merchant class of what is known as the Dutch Golden Age.

onoga što je poznato kao zlatno doba Holandije.

The oriental turban worn by the "Girl with the Pearl Earring"

Orijentalni turban koji nosi devojka za bisernom minđušom

also emphasizes the worldliness of the merchant class,

takođe naglašava svetski duh trgovačke klase,

and the pearl itself, a symbol of wealth, is actually an exaggeration.

a sam biser, simbol bogatstva, zapravo je preuveličan.

Vermeer couldn't have afforded a real pearl of its size.

Vermer nije mogao da priušti pravi biser te veličine.

It was likely just a glass or tin drop varnished to look like a pearl.

Verovatno je to bilo samo staklo ili kalaj lakiran da izgleda kao biser.

This mirage of wealth is mirrored in the painting itself.

Ova iluzija bogatstva se ogleda na samoj slici.

In greater context, the pearl appears round and heavy,

U širem kontekstu, biser deluje okruglo i teško,

but a detailed view shows that it's just a floating smudge of paint.

ali podrobno sagledavanje pokazuje da je to samo mrlja boje na površini.

Upon close inspection, we are reminded of Vermeer's power as an illusion maker.

Nakon pažljivog pregleda, setićemo se Vermerovog moćnog stvaranja iluzija.

While we may never know the real identity of the "Girl with the Pearl Earring,"

Mada možda nikada nećemo znati pravi identitet

„Devojke sa bisernom minđušom“,

we can engage with her portrait in a way that is unforgettable.

možemo se baviti njenim portretom na nezaboravan način.

As she hangs in her permanent home in the Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague,

Dok visi u svom stalnom domu u muzeju Maurichojs u Hagu,

her presence is simultaneously penetrating and subtle.

njeno prisustvo je istovremeno prodorno i suptilno.

In her enigmatic way, she represents the birth of a modern perspective

Na svoj zagonetni način, ona predstavlja rođenje savremenog sagledavanja

on economics, politics, and love.

ekonomije, politike i ljubavi.