Would Vermeer have used a Leica?

[jeff_voorhees]

Perhaps this sounds flippant in light of the recent slamming going on. But the recent talk of Vermeer, Litchenstein and Warhol got me to thinking about the use of light and equipment.

 

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Warhol was a polaroid man, no doubt. But Vermeer and Leica? Hasselblad perhaps? I remember a discussion between musicologists about whether Bach would have written for the piano had they been available in his time. Or more to the point: would he write for synthesizers if he were around today? They all agreed he would embrace them wholeheartedly. So, perhaps I've answered my own question.

 

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My advance apologies for wasting anyone's time and yes I know there is a Philosophy of Photography forum here. But what the hell.

[Robin Smith]

Quite possibly. The Dutch painters, of which Vermeer is one, invented

the "candid" scene of everyday people and the "street scene". These

are the Leica M's strenghts. Many great Dutch pictures have the

character of classic Leica intimate shots. I understand that many of

Vermeer is thought to have used the camera obscura in which case an R

Leica or Hasselbad might be also considered Vermeer type cameras.

However, in general his paintings give the impression of being a

distinct "moment in time" of ordinary folk and hence resemble in

spirit much M photography, even if he actually achieved this with much

more planning and work than may appear from a first impression of his

paintings.

[scott_evans3]

Vermeer, I bet would go for a medium format camera. I think

Degas would use Leica M's. Happy Day Scott

[wilhelm]

Judging by the striking similarities of the use of light by Vermeer

and Marie Cosindas, I would have to say the he'd probably use a

Linhof Technika and Polaroid peel-apart film.

[john_c.]

Actually, for some years now David Hockney has been advancing a theory

(his own) that the old masters used some sort of optical device (a

camera obscura) to guide their painting, rather than painting freehand.

Hockney just conducted a forum about this topic in New York. See <a

href="http://www.culturewars.org.uk/2000-02/art/candid_camera.htm">

this</a> or <a href="http://www.aps.org/apsnews/0301/030108.html">this<

/a>, for example. I saw Hockney's theory presented in the Hammer museum

in L.A. and it is fascinating.

[alfie wang]

Personally, I would think that a 4 x 5 view camera is more

appropriate to Vermeer's style?

 

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Alfie

[andy_piper2]

For Vermeer - definitely a Rollei TLR - no mirror shake in those dark

Flemish rooms. And as Scott said, for Leica M users definitely pick the

Impressionists - the first 'street photographers'!

 

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Lichenstein - a process camera - for the halftone screen.

[furcafe]

Nah. With his attention to detail & meticulous technique, he would

have used a Zeiss Ikon Contax II or III, if he bothered w/35mm. BTW,

both Philip Steadman's "Vermeer's Camera" & David Hockney's "Secret

Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters"

discuss the Old Master's use of optics.

[john15]

Vermeer and Frans Hals both might have used the Leica optics; a 50 or

35, perhaps. Anyway, Vermeer's "A View of Delft" brings to mind

something one might see through the viewfinder of an M. My real

guess, though, would be an 8x10 Deardorff. It would look right in

place in 17th century Delft.

John

[bobtodrick]

But this begs the question. If a Leica photographer decides to try

his hand at painting - does he use oil, acrylic or

watercolor..........

[jeff voorhees]

Bob-

 

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I agree. Since this is pure subjectivity here, it would have to oil.

I don't think acrylics or watercolors would give the look. He'd

probably go digital anyway.

[pat_dunsworth]

Speaking of the masters, Leicas and painting, I've read that HCB

spent much of his time painting. I've never heard of any of his work

being published, but it would be fasinating to see, given the impact

he's had on photojournalism and Art in general.

 

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Another artist who brings to mind street photography is Eduard Manet,

whom many consider the first Modern artist, perhaps because much of

his work captured the street life of Paris of his day, which was

quite a break from the style of that time. Like Degas (his

contemporary and freind) much of his work focused on unorthodox

views of everyday scenes populated by seemingly unposed subjects.

IMO Degas and Manet introduced a refreshing sense of composition

which still influences artists today. By the way, Vermeer rocks!

[andy_piper2]

"Vermeer and Frans Hals both might have used the Leica optics; a 50 or

35, perhaps."

 

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Sometime in the '70s Pop. or Mod. Photo ran a piece on a reseacher/

photographer who went back to the locales of several Dutch Masters'

landscapes and cityscapes and determined that the lens (35mm format)

that most accurately reproduced their framing and perspective was a

105mm. His pictures more-or-less made his point, compared to the

original paintings - certainly the perspective was 'short tele' in

appearance.

 

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Then he tried to claim that this proved the 105 was the only "true"

normal lens. As with most such theories this faded away gracefully

within a few years.

[andy_piper2]

Oh...and Bob and Jeff - oils for Velvia, colored chalks for E100VS -

and ochre and charcoal (discontinued original cave-painting pigments)

for Kodachrome 25.

 

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8^)

[david_killick5]

Absolutely, definitely a Summicron. I enjoyed visiting the Vermeer

exhibition at The Met in New York City earlier this year and was

struck by the luminosity of his images....whoops...paintings. Most are

low light shots without a tripod, so has to be a Leica M. Not sure

what speed film, since there is virtually no grain (Photoshop,

perhaps?) If you look closely at The Artist in his Studio you will see

a gadget bag by the artist's right foot.

[john11]

you guys crack me up.

[alfie wang]

Oh, if only Ektachrome 25 could return back to the market, we could

have painting-like photographs again.

 

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Alfie

[john_fleetwood]

Pat, some of HCB's sketch portraits are in his book, Tete a Tete.

[george2]

<b>Ekta</b>chrome 25? Oh, dear...