“And I know we're going to uncover, What's sleepin' in our soul”
Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675), a famous Dutch painter, is one of my all-time favorite painters. Vermeer painted in the 17th century, during what is known as the Dutch Golden Age of Art. Vermeer is best known for his intimate home scenes, as well as his depth mastery and brilliant use of light. He is also one of the great masters who achieved little success and recognition for his work during his lifetime and created a small number of paintings (around 36). His most famous works include "The Milkmaid," "View of Deft," "The Art of Painting," and "Girl with a Pearl Earring." There is little known about Vermeer's life, but his influence on art and artists centuries later cannot be underestimated.
Among the many things I admire about Vermeer are his paintings depicting everyday activities of what we might call middle-class people in the 17th century, such as reading a book, sewing clothes, playing instruments, and writing letters. It is Vermeer's ability to depict common people going about their daily lives that gives his art its power and beauty. Vermeer created art that his audience would understand because he knew who they were. Many of his subjects are engaged in tasks which we can still relate to, even 400 years later.
So, what can we as designers and creators, particularly in the digital space, learn from Vermeer and his legendary work? Vermeer was a master at creating an experience in which his audience could almost feel like they were a part of. He was able to immerse the viewer in his work because it was relatable and felt genuine. We are all charged with the same task: creating experiences that our users will not only understand and enjoy, but also relate to. Vermeer was also familiar with fundamental design principles such as depth, color, light, composition, and action (i.e., gestures). These same principles should be an important part of our skill set as we plan, prepare, and create our own artwork and or designs.
Learning from and studying the great masters of the arts like Johannes Vermeer is a great way to not only increase our knowledge and understanding of these extraordinarily talented people, but also to discover how we can enhance our own artistic abilities, whether they be in the form of painting, drawing, playing an instrument, or clicking a mouse, as we work to improve the user experience.
JVD
The title of this month's post comes from possibly the greatest B-Side ever, Oasis' monumental hit “Acquiesce”.