Vermeer: light, love and silence

Episode of Series “Phaidon art collection”.
Written, produced, directed by Michael Gill and presented by Melvyn Bragg “Light, love and silence” focuses on the artist Jan Vermeer’s painting style and his intimate depictions of domestic interiors. Little known outside Holland for almost 200 years after his death, he is now considered one of the greatest painters of the seventeenth century. This documentary examines his paintings through detailed descriptions and discusses his technical skill, use of perspective and extraordinary understanding of light guided by the use of a camera obscura. Although very little is known about this intriguing artist for he left no letters, drawings or clues relating to the intention of his paintings, interviews with academics including Dr Jonathon Miller and Svetlana Alpers provide a greater insight into the social, political and scientific environment in which he worked.