HA 706/906

This seminar will discuss the paintings of Johannes Vermeer as well as those of his mid-seventeenth-century contemporary Dutch artists, such as Gerrit Dou, Gerard ter Borch, Gabriel Metsu, and Pieter de Hooch. In weekly discussions, we will consider various interpretive issues addressed by recent scholarship, including those surrounding the artists’ choice of subject matter; experiments with optical devices; engagement with contemporary scientific interests; changes in the status of the artist; and the cultural contexts that contributed to a lively market for such highly valued paintings.