Using 3D Animation to Examine Composition in Vermeer's "The Music Lesson"

I've been watching videos on classic painters this week, and came across Vermeer: Master of Light, a 2001 documentary about the master narrated by Meryl Streep. It started out slow and straightforward for those familiar with the painter, but then it cut to a segment that truly impressed me. Taking an incredibly close look at his painting "The Music Lesson," the filmmakers used 3D animation to rearrange the elements of the painting to help better understand the impact of its final composition. They do such a great job with their presentation that there's nothing I can add. Kudos to those who worked on it. Watch:



It's examinations like this that serve as a helpful reminder of how much thought goes into the simple arrangement of elements in an image. Painters like Vermeer thought about these things to a staggering extent.