View of Delft by Johannes Vermeer (Interpretation and Analysis)

View of Delft
Source: The Mauritshuis 

Today, I want to talk about the work of my favorite Dutch painter, Johannes Vermeer. Although Vermeer is probably best known for his painting Girl with the Pearl Earring, one of his most interesting pieces is — in my opinion — View of Delft.

View of Delft (the Dutch city where Vermeer lived) is a cityscape painted during a time in which cityscapes were not the norm. What the artist chooses to depict in this painting is as interesting as what he does not depict. Vermeer’s image of Delft is stark, orderly, and clean. Boats are visible in the middle ground, dotted with industrious workers. Neatly dressed men and women stand speaking together in the foreground. The scene is capped with great expanses of cloudy sky. The overall impression is one of serenity. Although all of Vermeer’s paintings are meticulously detailed and nearly photorealistic in their execution, View of Delft is unrealistic in its subject matter. Here, Delft is the ideal Dutch city: prosperous and neat, everything and everybody as it should be.

Vermeer lived during the Dutch Golden Age, during which time the Netherlands became one of the foremost economic powers in the world. This Golden Age began after the Netherlands achieved independence from Spain and was accompanied by a burgeoning sense of patriotic pride, which is clearly visible in this painting.

Vermeer may have also been influenced — directly or indirectly — by the theory of the ideal city, which enjoyed resurgences during the Renaissance and the Enlightenment periods. In Europe, the vision of the ideal city often included features like a geometrical grid, wide streets, superior sanitation, and grand public buildings. If you look across Europe, you can see bits and pieces of this idea everywhere. For example, after Lisbon was destroyed by an earthquake in 1755, the king of Portugal rebuilt the city with straight streets, wide avenues, large plazas, and an entirely new city plan. The theory undergirding these ideas was that a well designed city naturally led to a happier, more industrious, and virtuous population. Given this context, Vermeer’s View of Delft may be an unconscious attempt to portray his city and its citizens to best advantage. Here, the beauty of Delft is a reflection of the goodness and morality of its inhabitants.

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.