There is hardly anyone who is not familiar with The Girl With the Pearl Earring, painted by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer in 1665.
A CNN survey listed it as one of the world’s most recognized paintings. It has been the subject of poetry, literature, social movements and more. In in 2014 the English street artist Banksy reproduced the painting as a mural in Bristol, incorporating an alarm box in place of the pearl earring and calling the artwork Girl with a Pierced Eardrum.
In 2013, it was made into a feature film starring Scarlett Johannsen as Griet, as servant working in the home of Vermeer, played by Colin Firth, and the subject of the painting.
What makes Vermeer interesting for us is that he was not a full-time artist. Rather, he worked as an art dealer and only painted when he had a chance. This is very much like so many of the artists that we represent here. Art is a passion, and only if you are lucky, is it a full time profession. But that does not prevent it from producing great works of art – and, I think, as a passion, it probably enhances the work even more.
