SPEAKER 1: Vermeer was trying
to emulate effects that he would
have seen in an optical device,
called the camera obscura.
Some of those qualities
of this immediacy of looking out
of this more momentary character
of this painting may, in fact,
be partially explained
by the inspiration of the camera
obscura.
Now, he didn't really paint
from a camera obscura.
He certainly didn't copy
the camera obscura.
But it was a way of seeing.
It was a way of enriching
the way he saw, that he then
would apply, and create,
and adapt in paintings
such as this.
SPEAKER 2: Camera obscura means
darkened chamber.
Its images were seen as magical
in 17th century, often described
as nature's pantings.
Its process is simple.
When the camera faces an image
on the outside, rays of light
enter into the darkened chamber
through a convex lens
on the front of the box,
projecting
an inverted and reversed image
on the surface of the glass
viewing window
at the back of the camera.
The image contains
optical effects,
such as diffused or soft
highlights.
This is
an actual black and white image
of a lion head finial,
as seen through a camera
obscura.
The impact
of this optical effect
can clearly be seen when we
place it next to Vermeer's
painted finial in The Girl
with a Red Hat.
