Making the Perfect Vermeer Website: Together
Woman in Blue Reading a Letter
Johannes Vermeer
c. 1662–1665
Oil on canvas, 46.5 x 39 cm.
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
First, thanks for clicking—that makes at least two of us who want a perfect website.
Second, yes, we both know perfection does not exist, but we also know that a handful of artists, only a handful, are capable of approaching it. And I am fairly confident we both agree Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring or Woman in Blue Reading a Letter are about as close to artistic perfection as anyone can expect.
If you would like to help this website become the nearest thing to the perfect website that Vermeer deserves, there are three ways you can do so—the easy way, the hard way and the creative way.
Remember, I am not building an academic ivory tower, but a website that is useful and objective, an inspiration and pleasure for all those who are drawn to Vermeer's art, savvy art scholars and neophytes alike.
Believe me, there is so much to do.
1. The easy way to help the Essential Vermeer grow is to make your purchases at Amazon.com through an Essential Vermeer link. It’s that easy and you won't lose a penny. Here’s how it works.
Any time you plan on making a purchase at Amazon.com, first click on this link that will take you directly to the Amazon.com home page, and proceed normally to make your purchase. For any and all of your purchases, Essential Vermeer website will receive a small percentage of the expense but, obviously, you will NOT be charged even a penny more than if you had not used the Essential Vermeer link. Remember, you don't have to buy any Vermeer- or art-related items or enter any special codes. Food, diapers, clothes or electronics all do the trick. So go ahead, shop around and feel good about having helped the Essential Vermeer cause!
You may also copy and paste URL below to your browser and bookmark it for future purchases (it's the same as the "first click on this link above"):
http://www.amazon.com/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=ur2&tag=theessnetialv-20
2. The hard way to help the Essential Vermeer is to give some of your hard-earned money to someone you do not know without knowing exactly what he will do with it. I would be glad to introduce myself to you personally and explain what it is I am trying to accomplish, but I believe that the work I have done so far will tell you more about who I am and what I want to do much better than my words. Just take some time and do some serious navigating through Essential Vermeer: It’s comprehensive, it's user friendly, it's open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and it's free for everybody and will remain so.
If you need to fill in any blanks, you can find out more by clicking here and reading about the core philosophy and goals of the Essential Vermeer. Want to know something else? Feel free to write an email or call me if you need to know anything else. If you would like to speak with me personally, we can get in touch through Skype.
Once you have decided to make a contribution (for any amount you feel appropriate), use the PayPal donation button below to make your donation even if you do not have a PayPal account.
3. The creative way to help the Essential Vermeer is to pitch in and work on the content of the website. If you love art history, music, libraries, typography, the English language, graphics, CSS, internet strategy, painting technique, photography, bibliographies, social media or just cleaning up messes and making complicated things work again, then we have something in common. I am in continual need of assistance with research, editing, coding and fundraising. I also need inspiration, suggestions and criticism.
If you feel you might have something to contribute, write me now and we can talk about it. Nothing works out? No problems, we’ll stay Vermeer friends just as before. However, for the moment, I am unable to offer financial compensation, but I will credit your contributions publicly, on the website, on the web page where they appear. Click here for an example.
Thanks so much for your consideration,
Jonathan Janson - May 8, 2013
jonathanjanson@essentialvermeer.com
