Synopsis
Over 100 years of speculation and controversy surround claims that the great 17th-century Dutch artist, Johannes Vermeer, used the camera obscura to create some of the most famous images in Western art. This intellectual detective story starts by exploring Vermeer's possible knowledge of 17th-century optical science, and outlines the history of this early version of the photographic camera, which projected an accurate image for artists to trace. However, it is Steadman's meticulous reconstruction of the artist's studio, complete with a camera obscura, which provides exciting new evidence to support the view that Vermeer did indeed use the camera. These findings do not challenge Vermeer's genius but show how, like many artists, he experimented with new technology to develop his style and choice of subject matter. The combination of detailed research and a wide range of contemporary illustrations offers a fascinating glimpse into a time of great scientific and cultural innovation and achievement in Europe.
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About the Authors
Philip Steadman is Professor of Urban and Built Form Studies, University College London.
Philip Steadman is Professor of Urban and Built Form Studies at University College London.
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Vermeer's Camera: Uncovering the Truth Behind the Masterpieces
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Oxford University Press, 2001
ISBN 10: 0192159674
ISBN 13: 9780192159670
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Vermeer's Camera: Uncovering the Truth Behind the Masterpieces
Published by
Oxford University Press, 2001
ISBN 10: 0192159674
ISBN 13: 9780192159670
Used
Hardcover
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Vermeer's Camera: Uncovering the Truth Behind the Masterpieces
Published by
Oxford University Press, 2001
ISBN 10: 0192159674
ISBN 13: 9780192159670
Used
Hardcover
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Condition: acceptable. Fairly worn, but readable and intact. If applicable: Dust jacket, disc or access code may not be included. Seller Inventory # 3IIT4Q004U53_ns
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Vermeer's Camera: Uncovering the Truth Behind the Masterpieces
Published by
Oxford University Press, 2001
ISBN 10: 0192159674
ISBN 13: 9780192159670
Used
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Condition: good. Supports Goodwill of Silicon Valley job training programs. The cover and pages are in Good condition! Any other included accessories are also in Good condition showing use. Use can include some highlighting and writing, page and cover creases as well as other types visible wear. Seller Inventory # GWSVV.0192159674.G
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Vermeer's Camera: Uncovering the Truth Behind the Masterpieces
Published by
Oxford Univ Press, Oxford, 2001
ISBN 10: 0192159674
ISBN 13: 9780192159670
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First Edition
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First Edition. Very good hardcover in very good price clipped jacket. Seller Inventory # 023392
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Vermeer's Camera: Uncovering the Truth Behind the Masterpieces
Published by
Oxford University Press, 2001
ISBN 10: 0192159674
ISBN 13: 9780192159670
Used
Hardcover
Seller: Flamingo Books, Menifee, CA, U.S.A.
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hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 2001 Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 6 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches tall black cloth hardcover in publisher's unclipped dust jacket, silver lettering to spine, copiously illustrated with black-and-white and full color photographs and reproductions of artwork, xiv, 207 pp. plus 8 unnumbered pages of plates. Very slight rubbing to covers. Otherwise, a near fine copy - clean, bright and unmarked - in an only slightly edgeworn dust jacket which is nicely preserved and displayed in a clear archival Brodart sleeve. ~SP37~ [2.0P] Art historians have long speculated on how Vermeer achieved the uncanny mixture of detached precision, compositional repose, and perspective accuracy that have drawn many to describe his work as 'photographic.' Indeed, many wonder if Vermeer employed a camera obscura, a primitive form of camera, to enhance his realistic effects? In Vermeer's Camera, Philip Steadman traces the development of the camera obscura - first described by Leonaro da Vinci - weighs the arguments that scholars have made for and against Vermeer's use of the camera, and offers a fascinating examination of the paintings themselves and what they alone can tell us of Vermeer's technique. Vermeer left no record of his method and indeed we know almost nothing of the man nor of how he worked. But by a close and illuminating study of the paintings Steadman concludes that Vermeer did use the camera obscura and shows how the inherent defects in this primitive device enabled Vermeer to achieve some remarkable effects - the slight blurring of image, the absence of sharp lines, the peculiar illusion not of closeness but of distance in the domestic scenes. Steadman argues that the use of the camera also explains some previously unexplainable qualities of Vermeer's art, such as the absence of conventional drawing, the pattern of underpainting in areas of pure tone, the pervasive feeling of reticence that suffuses his canvases, and the almost magical sense that Vermeer is painting not objects but light itself. Drawing on a wealth of Vermeer research and displaying an extraordinary sensitivity to the subtleties of the work itself, Philip Steadman offers in Vermeer's Camera a fresh perspective on some of the most enchanting paintings ever created. Seller Inventory # SP37-0142-14173
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VERMEER'S CAMERA: Uncovering the Truth Behind the Masterpieces
Published by
Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2001
ISBN 10: 0192159674
ISBN 13: 9780192159670
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Seller: Russ States, Oil City, PA, U.S.A.
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Cloth. Condition: Very Good -. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good -. First Edition. (2001), 207pp, illus., black cloth, light shelfwear to cover, light waterstain to margins of last 20 pgs, slight wrinkling to pgs of last half of book, gift note to front free ep, some rubbing & slight edgewear to dj, contents clean & unmarked. Seller Inventory # 24-0246
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Vermeer's Camera: Uncovering the Truth Behind the Masterpieces
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Oxford University Press, United Kingdom, Oxford, 2001
ISBN 10: 0192159674
ISBN 13: 9780192159670
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Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
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Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Over 100 years of speculation and controversy surround claims that the great 17th-century Dutch artist, Johannes Vermeer, used the camera obscura to create some of the most famous images in Western art. This intellectual detective story starts by exploring Vermeer's possible knowledge of 17th-century optical science, and outlines the history of this early version of the photographic camera, which projected an accurate image for artists to trace. However, it is Steadman's meticulous reconstruction of the artist's studio, complete with a camera obscura, which provides exciting new evidence to support the view that Vermeer did indeed use the camera. These findings do not challenge Vermeer's genius but show how, like many artists, he experimented with new technology to develop his style and choice of subject matter. The combination of detailed research and a wide range of contemporary illustrations offers a fascinating glimpse into a time of great scientific and cultural innovation and achievement in Europe. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR002150185
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Vermeer's Camera: Uncovering the Truth Behind the Masterpieces
Published by
Oxford University, London, 2001
ISBN 10: 0192159674
ISBN 13: 9780192159670
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Blue Skye Books, Novato, CA, U.S.A.
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Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. First edition, NF/NF. Book has neat bookplate on front paste-down. DJ has some light wear to edges and corners. Includes two appendices, notes bibliography and index. Illustrated with 10 color plates, b& w photos and drawings, and many diagrams. Much of the science for the film "Tim's Vermeers" was based on this book. Basically, this is an astounding discovery of Vermeer's secrets. Nice copy. Seller Inventory # 001357
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Vermeer's Camera: Uncovering the Truth Behind the Masterpieces
Seller: Griffin Books, Stamford, CT, U.S.A.
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hardcover. Condition: New. Brand new gift quality hardcover in jacket Please email for photos. Larger books or sets may require additional shipping charges. Books sent via US Postal. Seller Inventory # 125826