In Focus

 The other evening we went to the cinema to see the film ' Vermeer: The Greatest Exhibition' Have you seen it?

It was made at the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam where every known painting by Vermeer is on display. The exhibition is a sell-out, so the only way of viewing the paintings is on film. However, this may be an advantage, as you get to study the works close up without other people jostling for position.

I remember  another Vermeer exhibition in 2001 at the National Gallery where packed crowds stopped me seeing his tiny paintings.

One interesting fact I learnt this time was that Vermeer was one of the first artists to concentrate on a detail to paint in focus while other parts of the canvas were subtly out of focus.

 This had a huge influence on other painters as well as, later on, photographers and film makers.