Project 2 18th century Dutch Painting

Johannes Vermeer - The Astronomer
The painting is a portrait of an astronomer in his office, examine a globe. The astronomer is seated by a glass window, the only source of light in an otherwise dark room. This direct light diffuses throughout the room, replacing any stark shadows with a gentle 'glow'. Architectural features of the room seen are somewhat plain and unassuming.
With a book open on his desk, he reached for the globe, staring past it with a facial expression which reveals that he may just made a great discovery.

The globe, the light from the window, and the dark, floral-patterned cloth that drapes the front edge of the table, are the key pictorial and symbol objects.

The globe may represent equilibrium, perfection, the universe.

The light may indicate inspiration from the God.

The cloth may be seen as struggles of human life because the folds and patterns of leaves and blossoms are in all variations of darkness.


The composition Vermeer's painting is divided right through the middle into an upper and lower zone by a nearly horizontal line. I came up with the idea of Upper and Lower.

My Narrative is
"A tower for a man of science who is contemplating, in sensitive, the meaning and purpose of life via the stars."