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Hi, I am Jonathan Janson, the author and webmaster of Essential Vermeer.com.

In just 10 years, the Essential Vermeer has grown from a simple one-page list of Vermeer-related websites to the most complete internet website dedicated to an individual artist. It now contains over 5,000 web objects, 500-plus web pages, scores of interactive studies, uncounted links, over 3,000 images and hundreds audio files. The Essential Vermeer now serves as the prime internet reference point for contemporary Vermeer scholars as well as the preferred venue for laymen all over the globe who wish to explore the fascinating complexities of Vermeer’s art. In a single month, the website tallies approximately 50,000 unique visits and 450,000 page views, impressive numbers for a website devoted to an art-historical subject.

But more important than numbers, the Essential Vermeer has become a place where I have done my best to present an organic and objective overview of Vermeer's art, life and times; a place where both Vermeer newcomers and longtime Vermeer enthusiasts can find food for thought and the facts they need. It has become a place where information on all the latest exhibitions, conferences and publications about Vermeer can be comfortably located, any time, day or night. It is a bridge that connects the most recent developments in world-wide Vermeer scholarship to the art enthusiast..

Ten years of communication with the public and art specialists has convinced me that our vision of Vermeer and Dutch painting will be increasingly shaped by what we will read and what we will write about them on the World Wide Web. The internet medium provides extraordinary possibilities for the art history community which has only just begun to be tapped.

This site will continue to grow and offer new ways to explore the complexities of Vermeer's art and the art of his time. And it will continue to be free. Margin for growth is enormous and the more I research, write and increase my internet technology skills, the more new projects come to my mind. To materially implement these new ideas, new tools are required. I need to update my hardware, acquire more flexible software, research material and pay for technical collaboration, hosting costs, communication and travel expenses.

If you would like to make growth possible for Essential Vermeer, please feel free to make a contribution. It will be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks for your interest,
Jonathan Janson

 

WORD Document: Goals & Philosophy of Essential Vermeer

 




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Thanks you for having considered contributing to the growth of Essential Vermeer.com.

If you contribute $50 or more you will receive FREE OF CHARGE :


1. THE COMPLETE INTERACTIVE VERMEER CATALOGUE (CDrom)

2. LOOKING OVER VERMEER'S SHOULDERS (PDF download)

 

THE COMPLETE INTERACTIVE VERMEER CATALOGUE

The Complete Interactive Vermeer Catalogue offers both enthusiastic new-comers and seasoned art historians the chance to delve into Vermeer's paintings as never before. Through an innovative system of image mapping, theme boxes and the familiar internet browser navigational interface, each of the artist's 37 surviving paintings can be effortlessly explored according to the particular interests of the individual navigator.

The CIVC is so rich yet so simple to use that it is better experienced than described. CLICK HERE to see a working demo below of just one of 37 catalogue entries.

HOW IT WORKS
By rolling the computer’s mouse over the details of interest of state-of-art digital images of each painting or clicking on the alternative theme titles, a system of elegant sSlide-in boxes will instantaneously satisfy the navigator's curiosity and stimulate further exploration.

 

LOOKING OVER VERMEER"S SHOULDERS (PDF download)

Who would have not wanted to look over one of the shoulders of one of the greatest painting geniuses of Western art?

Looking Over Vermeer’s Shoulders provides a clear, comprehensible guide for exploring the mysterious relationship between painting technique and artistic expression. It comes directly to grips with the mental and physical machinery of Johannes Vermeer, one of the greatest painting technicians of all times. Contemporarily, it furnishes a view of what went on outside Vermeer’s own studio opening the doors to workshop practices of the 17th-century Baroque painting studios. 

Looking Over Vermeer’s Shoulders will open up a new vista on the works of the Great Masters allowing the reader to connect more directly to the artists through the language in which their masterpieces are truly written written: brush, paint and hand.

Here are only a few of the many intriguing questions which surround the enigmatic work of Vermeer.

  • How did Vermeer and the Old Masters create their masterpieces?
  • Who did Vermeer learn from?
  • How did he plan his paintings?
  • Where did he acquire his materials?
  • Did he use the camera obscura as an aid to his painting?
  • Did he use any secret materials or techniques?
  • Who posed for his paintings?