In the documentary Tim’s
Vermeer, a graphic artist and techno-geek named Tim Jenison posits a
theory, also held by art historian David Hockney, that 17th century
Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer painted his compositions using a combination of
lenses and mirrors to so accurately represent the photo-natural colors and
lighting of his subjects. Jenison takes his hypothesis to obsessive extremes by
attempting to painstakingly recreated Vermeer’s “The Music Lesson” using
methods that would have been available to the artist in his own time. He
rebuilds the room where the original was painted. He builds the furniture, has
the costumes made, and very carefully places everything just so.
