From Vermeer to Giovanelli
An Old Master and a contemporary artist who both adore a little theatricality.
“My process is quite similar to that of the Old Masters.” - Louise Giovanelli
The first time I saw a Vermeer was on a school trip to Amsterdam. It was The Milkmaid (1658-59) in the Rijksmuseum that caught my eye. Vermeer is a master of light and plays very skilfully with it. His attention to detail is absolutely astonishing. In the painting on the left, her blue skirt drapes around her hips like a curtain. In the painting on the right, an actual curtain drapes the frame.
Curtains in different forms, shapes and colours often appear in Vermeer’s work. It’s a theatrical gesture of inviting the viewers into the scene of the artwork. Another beautiful example of that is Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window (1657-59). The work was completely restored in 2021. The colours are now more vibrant and a hidden painting of Cupid appears (suggesting she’s reading a love letter).
A contemporary artist that finds inspiration in curtains is Louise Giovanelli (1993). Giovanelli is not necessarily interested in the human form, but rather colour, light and texture. “And sometimes they happen to contain figures,” she explains. (Artsy, December 2021). The curtains in Vermeer’s paintings suggest a revelation of what is happening behind them. Giovanelli uses similar techniques as Vermeer to drape the fabric of the curtains and to masterly apply light in her paintings. However, the focal point in her paintings are the curtains themselves. They leave the viewer in suspense, is the show over or in fact just beginning? What is happening behind them? Will we ever know?
According to Giovanelli, theatre or performance is all-around us. It’s an inevitable part of life: our social interactions in real life and online are all different kinds of performances.
Next to the old Masters, Giovanelli also finds inspiration in Flemish contemporaries e.g. Dirk Braeckman (1958) because he also shows the tactility of curtains in his photographs or Thierry De Cordier (1954) who plays with light on water surfaces. Giovanelli: “I consider Dirk Braeckman to be a painter although he's a photographer, because his consideration of the surface is exactly the same as a painter's would be. He has that same understanding. That’s why I like him so much.” (Ocula, July 2022).
The Art Market
Louise Giovanelli is only 30 years old but she’s already making her debut on the secondary art market. In 2022 all three major auction houses (Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Phillips) sold her works for astonishing rising prices.
Artwork 1: Peeping Tom (2019). The estimate of the work was £30K-40K. Sotheby’s sold it at auction for £82K, doubling the high estimate in October 2022. Many artworks in recent history carry the name ‘Peeping Tom’, it’s a British saying to refer to someone that derives sexual pleasure from secretly watching people undressing or engaging in a sexual activity.
Artwork 2: Seal (2020). The estimate of the work was £8K-12K. Christie’s sold it in October 2022 for more than 26K.
Artwork 3: Untitled (2015). The estimate of the work was £3K-5K. Sotheby’s sold it this April 2023 for almost £8K.
Exhibitions
Louise Giovanelli’s work is currently on view in GRIMM Gallery in New York City until June 30.
Johannes Vermeer recently had an extraordinary exhibition in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The tickets sold out immediately on the first day. The exhibition has already ended but you can still enjoy it in a spectacular online tour with Stephen Fry.
Thank you for adding the online tour of Vermeer. A perfect moment of stillness on a busy day :)