© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY · WNPR
WPKT · WRLI-FM · WEDW-FM · Public Files Contact
ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Documentary Profiles Inventor's Obsession With Jan Vermeer's Painting Technique

"As a scientifically-minded guy, Tim wasn't content just to get ordinary objects and work with ordinary modern things."
Teller

The New Britain Museum of American Art will show a documentary film on Thursday about one man's quest to duplicate the painting technique of Dutch master Jan Vermeer. "If my idea was right, we're seeing color photographs, more or less, from 350 years ago," said inventor Tim Jenison.

In the documentary "Tim's Vermeer," Jenison is convinced Vermeer used optical gadgets to achieve his almost photographic paintings, and becomes obsessed with figuring out exactly how.

At first, Jenison thinks Vermeer may have used a camera obscura, basically a lens that projects an image on a canvas in a dark room. But he quickly dispels that notion when he realizes that the camera obscura technique would not account for Vermeer's ability to match color perfectly.

Then the inventor stumbles on another theory involving mirrors and lenses. "I put a 45 degree angle mirror on a stick," he said. "When you look just over the edge of the mirror, you see the panel you are going to paint on. You can match the color perfectly. It's fairly intuitive."

Jenison believes this is the method used by Vermeer to paint his masterpieces. To prove his theory, he set about recreating, from scratch, the room in Vermeer's masterpiece "The Music Lesson." He also used mirrors and ground his own lens to the specifications from Vermeer's time.

"What he is doing is making a genuine time machine," said the film director Teller, half of the magic duo Penn and Teller. "As a scientifically-minded guy, Tim wasn't content just to get ordinary objects and work with ordinary modern things. He needed to know he could work under the exact conditions that Vermeer was working under."

Jenison, who never painted before the documentary, reveals his version of "The Music Lesson" at the end of the documentary.

"Tim's Vermeer" will be shown at 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm on Thursday at the New Britain Museum of American Art

Ray Hardman is Connecticut Public’s Arts and Culture Reporter. He is the host of CPTV’s Emmy-nominated original series Where Art Thou? Listeners to Connecticut Public Radio may know Ray as the local voice of Morning Edition, and later of All Things Considered.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content