The painting is Vermeer’s ‘ Girl with Pearl Earrings’ c 1665, the Dutch golden age period.
It depicts an imaginary young woman in exotic dress and large pearl earring. The painting is located at the Mauritshuis in The Hague.. It’s not really a portrait but a tronie, a character or type of person, a generic young woman. Imagery techniques show that the headscarf was painted using lapis lazuli ( blue) , a very costly mineral, mined in what is now Afganistan. The red for the lips was derived from an insect living in Mexico and South America.
I like this painting by Vermeer. The blue and yellow against the dark background, the glistening pearl and the light and shade of the skin as well as the girl’s gaze makes this a rather special painting.
I’ve been trying to improve my portrait drawing skills and my attempt is shown above.
Many thanks for your feedback Helen.
Great drawing George! You’ve caught the angle of eyes just right, well done.
Thank you Thea for the useful tips. I must learn to work a bit slower when doing my art.
You may already do this when sketching with pencil, George.I blend the pencil marks with my finger or cotton wool bud ,larger area with some kitchen roll.Also I slice a piece of rubber so that it's totally clean for highlights.Happy drawing!Thea
Really nice drawing George. Are you going to have a go at a painted version. Thank you for your lovely write, I always enjoy reading them.
Really nice drawing George. Are you going to have a go at a painted version. Thank you for your lovely write, I always enjoy reading them.
Well done George.You have captured her look perfectly.I also like this picture and the book of the same name.
Lovely sketch. This is such a popular image. I think it's the way she looks back out at us that makes it quite captivating.