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Vermeer  By  cover art

Vermeer

By: Lawrence R. Spencer
Narrated by: Alan Douglas
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Publisher's summary

Vermeer: Portraits of A Lifetime is a revolutionary reexamination of the mystique and mythology surrounding the 17th Century Dutch Master painter, Johannes Vermeer. For the first time in over 300 years names of people who posed for his paintings are identified. An unknown portrait of Vermeer, painted by his friend, Gerard ter Borch, is exposed. This book is an empathetic retrospective, built on observations that reveal answers to dozens of speculations about his paintings, his wife, his daughters, and contemporaries who were the subjects of his art, and with whom he shared his brief life in Delft. The PDF version of this book includes full color plates of each of the remaining works of Vermeer. The paperback version contains black and white plates of each of his paintings. Researched and written by Lawrence R. Spencer, author and master oil painter who, without training, "remembered" how to paint at the age of 30.

The few existing paintings by Vermeer our priceless works of art, housed in the most prestigious art museums of the world. In July 2004 Vermeer's painting Young Woman Seated at the Virginals' was sold at auction for $42 million. The value of an undisputed Vermeer would likely exceed $100,000,000. The authenticity of Young Woman Seated at the Virginals is disputed which explains the relatively low sales price. Because the few authenticated Vermeers are all in museum collections , the only way to acquire a Vermeer is to steal one which happened in 1990. The Concert was stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and has not been recovered.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2010 - 2099 Lawrence R. Spencer (P)2012 Lawrence R. Spencer

What listeners say about Vermeer

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A revolutionary look at Vermeer and his paintings

What made the experience of listening to Vermeer the most enjoyable?

I am a student of art

What was one of the most memorable moments of Vermeer?

Understanding how much a part of his life his wife and children were on his painting

What does Alan Douglas bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A very professional presentation

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was touched very deeply by the empathy of the author and the life of the artist

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4 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars

supposition could misinform

He has spun an interesting tale and it's a pleasant read. He's done some thorough research and some of his conclusions could be true but they could just as well not be. The problem is that since it is such a good read, you could possibly be fooled into remembering 'facts' that are only his suppositions. I'm not a fan of embroidered history.

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1 person found this helpful