Analysis Of ' The Girl With The Pearl Earring '

Everyone wants to understand art.... In the case of a painting people have to understand. If only they would realize above all that an artist works out of necessity, that he himself is only a trifling bit of the world, and that no more importance should be attached to him than to plenty of other things, things which please us in the world, though we can't explain them (Barnes).

Carol Pearson says “heroes take journeys, confront dragons, and discover the treasure of their true selves.” In Girl with a Pearl Earring, a novel by Tracy Chevalier, protagonist, Griet, does all of those things. In a way to deal with unfortunate events, Griet becomes a maid for the Vermeer family. In this unknown upper-class world, Griet takes a hold onto something that she thought could provide a future for her, Johannes Vermeer, her master. She becomes an apprentice to him, and this eventually leads to Vermeer painting her with a special pair of pearl earrings. All of her challenges through this story help Griet find her identity. Although Paptists’ Corner is not completely unknown to Griet, Griet does fit the archetype of a hero’s quest because she has a call after she is missing something and has a transformation because of the Vermeers.

The thought of art is more than what you see it is what you feel and what you learn from looking at it. Art can heal the soul and create and new outlook on images we may see every day. Sadly, we may not always see the art in things, pieces, or, humans.

Art might not be viewed the same way as another individual could. Some people could “see” or “look” at a painting, distinguishing their perspective or interpretation of an artwork. When I “look” at Alma Thomas’ Gray Night Phenomenon, it’s with a goal to identify what the art depicts. I would probably glance at the painting, not taking my time to analyze its different features. At first glance, I register the painting as simply a piece of artwork with a blue background and yellow specks in a pattern, however I don’t take much thoughtful processes to take place and bring emotions into viewing the piece. When one “looks” at something, it is more routine-like and to figure its function, without much appreciation of the artwork. In contrast to “looking”

An important part in every person’s life is the search for personal identity and self-knowledge. This struggle involves working out a concept of oneself as a unique individual and embracing an ideology or system of values that provide a sense of direction, as stated in Weiten’s Psychology: Themes and Variations. Similarly, in Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier, Griet grapples with her identity as a maid, and entertains the idea that she can choose a path not set out for her. Her journey of self-discovery leads to a deeper understanding of her role in Vermeer’s paintings, and what it means for her own life. The Vermeer’s influence on Griet affects her transition from adolescence into adulthood, thus affecting the choices she makes. These choices define Griet as a person even when she feels she no longer has any trace of her old self left. Although Griet does not completely sever her ties to her old life, Griet does fit the archetype of a hero on a hero’s quest because of the challenges crucial to her journey and through the redemption of her personal values.

Since the beginning of time, artists have labored extensively to find innovative ways to convey sentiment, passion, and feeling. Telling stories and trying to unlock the minds of people through different avenues of artistic labors. Art touches and affects people in unique ways; it can have special or unusual meaning on the person depending on how one views it. Artists’ rendering of their art is interpreted in numerous ways by others who view it unless it is explained by the artist on its meaning giving a clear example of what they are portraying. Two people looking at the same painting, sculpture, portrait, or photo may come to different views on the arts meaning even though they are looking

Kelly J. Mayes defines plot in The Norton Introduction to Literature as the way the author sequences and paces the events so as to shape our response and interpretation. Every piece of literature contains a plot pattern that follows Freytag’s pyramid. This pyramid consists of an exposition, rising action, a climax, falling action, and a conclusion. Though each story displays this pattern of organization, authors use many different literary devices to differentiate their work and to acquire the response they want to achieve from their audience. The author of “The Jewelry,” Guy De Maupassant, correctly followed Freytag’s Pyramid and used varied literary devices to create a suspenseful read for the audience.

While reading the book, Girl With a Pearl Earring, it is hard not to compare life during that time period to today’s society and culture. The first major difference is obviously the divide in religion. An example of this is on page 136 when Griet’s mother made a statement about the master’s paintings. She said, “I think his paintings are not good for the soul”. She was clearly offended because in her mind Greit’s master’s paintings were Catholic. I could not imagine what she would think about today’s society. Region is almost completely separate from work, school and much of life. During the book, region was everything to people. Today it is a topic, like politics, people avoid due to conflicts.

An artist 's psyche can 't be placated by the ordinary or carried on by business as usual; it is parched to search out the human condition and to look profound into individuals ' characters.

Good art allows me to flee the realms of reality. In my mind's limitless consciousness, I can escape the mundanity of everyday life. It opens a door in my head to a world only limited by my imagination. I am no more a slave to gravity, chained down on the earth when I am reading. I can be a bird and soar high above the clouds, or be a fish and swim deep down in the darkest depths of the ocean. I am there, I am that person, and everything else around me regardless of what it is, fades away. Sometimes these people are the one's I'd like to be but sometimes I encounter nefarious characters I wholly condemn. I am able to feel the emotions that the artist intends for me to feel. However, it is not merely reading or listening, but understanding

The most important trait in defining art is its beauty. As complex as the term “art” can be, the term “beauty” is nearly just as complicated. In order to understand art more clearly it is important to understand beauty. “We label an object beautiful because it promotes an internal harmony or ‘free play’ of our mental faculties; we call something ‘beautiful’ when it elicits this pleasure.” (Freeland 8). As defined above, beauty is not a direct message. It is something that subconsciously allows man to feel good and pleasurable. There is “an internal harmony” when we observe something beautiful that allows us to take away a deeper understanding of a work of art regardless of it being “nice looking” or “ugly”.

A work of art can capture a moment in a person’s life. When observing art it’s almost like a snapshot of a brief point in time. The artist tries to create this specific point, and within this creates a story or meaning. The art has something to say and the artist wants you to react or take something away from this experience. The reaction is the function of the specific work of art. Whether it’s a favorable or awful reaction, the viewer still walks away changed.

The history of art dates back to ancient times. Artwork can be, and was, found around the world. What makes art interesting is that it can be created in any way, shape or form with any materials. It seems that the artwork can also tell us a lot about the artist. Art seems to be simply, a direct, visual reflection of the artist’s life. Therefore, one can assume that an artist’s life experiences and beliefs directly influence their art. If we look at examples from different periods of art we will be able to see the connection between the artist and the art.

I think that the end result is truthfulness. Every artist must be sincere and truthful if he wants to be a great and true artist over and over again art is predictable to request and bond with human being feelings. Art can awaken aesthetic or ethical feelings. The amount of skillfulness that the artist has will influence over the capability they have so they can to generate an emotional response and by this means make available new insights. Art tends to smooth the progress of spontaneous slightly than coherent thoughtfulness, and frequently it is knowingly shaped with this purpose. Art calculatedly serves no other function. As a result of this forward motion, works of art are hard to pin down, refractive to attempts at arrangement, for the reason that they can be respected in more than one way, and are often vulnerable to many dissimilar interpretations. Even art that to every appearance depicts a commonplace proceedings or items may encourage manifestation upon prominent themes. Conventionally, the uppermost achievements of art make obvious a high intensity of ability or fluency within a medium. This characteristic might be considered a point of contention, since many contemporary artists (particularly, theoretical artists) do not themselves produce the moving parts they envisage, or do not even produce the labor in a straight, affectionate wisdom. Art has a capacity of transforming: predominantly confers

“Painting today is pure intuition and luck and taking advantage of what happens when you splash the stuff down. “- Francis Bacon. However when I learnt more about history of art and the way each movement and happenings in the world inspired artist to make new works, I was able to see much more than just a canvas with random paints and sketches. The interesting part about this concept is that each piece of art could be interpreted in many different ways. In contemporary art there isn’t right and wrong, each of us view and find different meanings and connections with artworks.