Girl with a Pearl Earring
- Tracy Chevalier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Dutch painter Vermeer is known for creating extraordinary paintings from ordinary day-to-day life. However, he painted a very limited number of paintings (34 or 35 in all), painting 2-3 canvases a year. This rarity of his works, coupled with the fact that very little verifiable information is available about his life, make him a great enigma. Further adding to the intrigue, the identity of the model for his fascinating painting “The Girl with a Pearl Earring” has never been established. Having an artistic interest myself, I have also admired this particular painting of his. Hence, when I heard of Tracy Chevalier’s (fictional) account of this unknown girl, who has enchanted millions of people through a few centuries, my curiosity was understandably piqued.
It remained on my TBR list for several years, primarily because it’s price has always been very high, but at last I found a used copy at a reasonable cost. I was actually surprised to find that it is rather a slim volume. Only about 250 pages, with well-spaced lines, and cohesive plot with a good pace, make it a quick, enjoyable read. Though I didn’t quite understand what made it quite the raze it became, when it came out.
In her story, the author has provided quite a plausible explanation of the identity of the unknown model, and how Vermeer came to paint her. She has wonderful described the town of Delft in the seventeenth century, and the way of life there at the time – you can almost visualize the sights and sounds of the market, the streets, the homes. The lives of the privileged and the poor are beautifully captured and contrasted through the inclusion of the heroine (Griet) in Vermeer’s household. Told in the first person narrative, the book spans the two-year duration of Griet’s stay in Vermeer’s house, and focusses on the dynamics of her relationships with other members, and the tensions stirred by her presence. The presence of Vermeer is, of course, integral to the story, but I felt that it was more of a background presence; this is essentially Griet’s story – her thoughts, desires and inner turmoil make up the crux of the story.
In recent times, I read several books that make an attempt at poetic prose by describing an emotion or impression using a disjoint kind of sensation. Usually I like it, but at the time I started reading it, I wasn’t up for reading another of them. So, when this book started on similar lines – describing voices in terms of textures (bright as polished brass, or, low and dark like wood), I was a little unruffled. However, it did not continue for long in the same vein, and the narrative took hold soon enough.
The story depicts Griet’s strong attraction towards Vermeer, right from their first meeting, which appears to be quite irrational, given her young age and class divide. It may start as awe or fascination, and gradually evolve into attraction, but “love at first sight” kind of description here is rather far-fetched. In contrast, the painter is intrigued by her, and is later protective of her; but I thought that any romantic inclination on his end, if any, were appreciably understated. His feelings towards her may have been platonic, finding a connection through shared artistic sensibilities.
What bothered me most was the behavior of the second daughter Cornelia – could a child of 7 or 8 be so vicious, and continue to be so for a long period of time, for no apparent reason but hate? Another disconcerting fact was that Griet is exceptionally perceptive – she is always able to discern the thoughts and feelings of other people, usually when seeing them for the first time.
I have mixed feelings about the way things happen. On one hand, I kept waiting for something dramatic to happen (the book description indicated a tumultuous affair between the artist and his model, or was my reading of the blurb incorrect?). On the other hand, I appreciated the subtlety with which the author illustrated the chain of events. I particularly liked the epilogue – when the author brings the story to a closure, depicting how the entire experience matures Griet into a practical, level-headed woman from the dreamy, impetuous girl that she was.
A fast, breezy read. I would rate it 3.5, but in this case I decided to err on the side of generosity and rated it at 4 stars.
