1. Sozopol September 11th, 15:00-16:001 The Aesthetic Development of an Artist Johan Vermeer (1632-1675) Wolfgang Wildgen (Bremen, Germany) September 11th, 15:00 to 16:00

2. Sozopol September 11th, 15:00-16:002 1. From religious art to genre painting 2. From popular genre pictures to middle class interieurs 3. From intime interieurs to intellectual portraits (types) 4. From interieurs to „exterieurs“ Contents

3. Sozopol September 11th, 15:00-16:003 First Category: Religious Art 1655: Jesus in the house of Maria and Martha Triangular constellatation with Jesus at the right side of the triangle. Vector of sight line to Martha Vector of hand gesture to Maria. Theological significance of the duality: world activity (Martha) – reflection (faith) (Maria)

4. Sozopol September 11th, 15:00-16:004 Second Category : both religious and civil Dual interpretations: 1.Pregant woman–virgin Mary. 2.Weighting pearls – weighting souls (reference to the painting in the background). 3.Light from the window – conception by the Holy Spirit (classical iconography of the annunciation)

5. Sozopol September 11th, 15:00-16:005 Third Category: Interieurs Woman with pearls Woman with lute The concert

6. Sozopol September 11th, 15:00-16:006 At first view this picture fits the series of interieurs; but if we assume that the painter in the scene is Vermeer himself, then a type of autoreferentiality would be introduced. As the other pictures describe scenes which might have happened in Vermeer‘s household, this picture is a natural continuation of above mentioned series.

7. Sozopol September 11th, 15:00-16:007 Third category : Spatial complexity of interieurs

8. Sozopol September 11th, 15:00-16:008 Conclusions 1. Stylistic attractors are given by categories :  Religious painting (standard narrative)  Middle class interieurs  Spatial representations (different rooms, houses, town). 2. Dominant style changes in the artistic environment. 3. Religious and social motives.

9. Sozopol September 11th, 15:00-16:009 End E mail: wildgen@uni-bremen.de wildgen@uni-bremen.de Home page: http://www.fb10.uni- bremen.de/homepages/homepagebyid.asp?id=34