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1、Text Text 1hepaintingGirlwithaPearlEarringisoneofthegreatestworksbytheDutchpainterJohannesVermeer andoneofthebestlovedpaintingsintheworld Itshowsastrikingyoungwomanwearinganexoticcostumeandaturban peeringoverhershoulderstraightoutattheviewer Setagainstadarkandunspecifiedbackground oureyesaredrawntoh
2、erpearlearring thefocalpointofthepainting ThemysteryofGirlwithaPearlEarring T Butaftermorethanacenturyofstudy theworkposessomefascinatingquestions Whoistheyoungwoman Isthepaintingaportraitofarealperson orasitterrepresentingmoregeneralattributesofwomanhood Howoldisshemeanttobe Isthepearlreal What sth
3、esignificanceoftheturban Whatisshethinkingasshestaresoutatus Text Text 2Ingeneral verylittleisknownaboutVermeer Weknowhewasbornin1632 spenthisentirelifeinDelft anddiedin1675 Weknowhisworkincludespaintingsofreligiousandmythologicalthemes domesticinteriorsandlandscapes Heneverseemstohavebeenwealthy pe
4、rhapsbecauseheproducedrelativelyfewpaintings Hisotherwell knownworksincludeGirlReadingaLetteratanOpenWindow andWomanwithWaterJug Text 3WealsoknowthatalthoughhecamefromaProtestantfamily hemarriedaCatholicgirlCatharina whoinsistedthatheconverttoCatholicismbeforetheymarriedandhad14children 4AsfarastheG
5、irlwithaPearlEarringisconcerned itseemsthatitwasn tmeanttobeaportrait butastudyofexpressions facialcharacteristicsorotherinterestingfeatures It struethatthegirl sfacewouldprobablynotbeconsideredbeautifulinaconventionalsense Ifithadbeenaportrait apainterwouldhaveworkedhardertoconveythesitter sbeauty
6、evenifitmeantslightlydistortingthetruth ThiskindofstudywaspopularinHollandatthetime andwouldhavebeeneasytosell Text Wedon tknow however ifthispaintingwaseversoldduringVermeer slifetime Wedon tevenknowifitwascommissionedbyVermeer spatron vanRuijven Ifso themodelmighthavebeenoneofhisdaughterswhowasabo
7、utthesameageasthesitter WeknowlessabouttheGirlwiththePearlEarringthananyofVermeer sworks Indeed theunexplainablelackofbackgroundinformationmayevencontributetotheworldwidepopularitythepaintingenjoys Text 5Withsomuchmystery thepaintinghasbeenthethemeoffirst anovelandlater afilm bothofwhichattempttoans
8、wersomeofthequestionsaboutthepainting aswellasone whichisimmediatelymoreappropriatetothemediumofthenovelorthefilm Areherwideeyesandenigmatichalf smileinnocentorseductive Text 6TracyChevalier snovel publishedin1999 tellsusthestoryofGriet a16 year oldDutchgirlwhoneedstostartworkinordertosupportherfami
9、ly ShebecomesamaidinVermeer shousehold withitsfivechildren grandmother along timeservant andCatharina Vermeer svolatilewife WhileGrietgoesaboutherduties sheattractstheattentionnotonlyofabutcher sboy Pieter butalsoofthepainterhimself Despitetheirdifferentbackgroundsandclass heinvitesherintohisstudioa
10、ndengagesherinhisworld Text 7AtfirstGrietmerelyrunserrandsandperformstasksforVermeer Butgradually hisrelationshipwithherchanges VermeerrecognizesGrietashavingvisualtalentandartisticpromise andtakesheronashisstudioassistant GrietiswaryofherpositionintheVermeerhouseholdbutrevelsinbeingencouragedtodeve
11、lopherskills Text HerroleistogrindpaintsanddevelopthecolourswhichVermeerwilluseforhispaintingsandwhenamodelfallsill shetakesherplace Catharinahaslongbeenforbiddentoenterthestudio sotheapprenticeshiptakesplaceinsecret GrietandVermeergrowcloser althoughtheirfeelingsareneverstatedexplicitly Text 8Butth
12、enVermeer spatron thewealthyvanRuijven whoisattractedbyGriet insiststhatthemaidandhebethesubjectsofVermeer snextcommissionedwork GrietandVermeerarereluctanttoagreebecauseofherstrictmodestyandthescandalcausedbythelastoccasionvanRuijvenwaspaintedwithayoungwoman Eventually Vermeercompromisesandagreesto
13、paintGrietonherown wearingCatharina spearlearrings Butwhileheispaintingher VermeerseesGriet shair whichtakessomeofhermodestyawayand deeplyembarrassed sherunstoPieterforcomfort Text 9OnedayVermeer sdaughterdiscoversthatGriethasbeenmodellingforherfather andtellshermother Filledwithjealousy Catharinast
14、ormsintothestudioanddemandstoseethepainting GrietisembarrassedwhenVermeeraccusesCatharinaofnotunderstandingart anddecidestoleavetheVermeerhousehold Text 10TenyearslaterweunderstandthatGriethasmarriedPieter andhashadchildrenwithhim Inthemeantime Vermeerhasdiedandinhiswill haslefttheearringstoGriet Sh
15、esellsthemtosettlethedebtduetotheVermeersbythebutcher sshopwhenGrietandPietergotmarried Text 11TracyChevalier stalentwastobringtolifeformodernreadersthestoryofayoungwomaninasmallcitymanycenturiesago andaboveall tospeculateontheanswerstosomeofthequestionswhichthepaintingprovokes Text 12Thenovelwasabe
16、st seller andconsequentlywasmadeintoafilmofthesamenamein2003 VermeerwasplayedbyColinFirth andGrietbyScarlettJohannson ThefilmshowsveryeffectivelythetensionbetweenthetwowhenVermeerpiercesGriet searlobessoshecanwearhiswife spearlearringsfortheportraitcommissionedbyhispatron Itendswithascenenotdescribedinthenovel withthepearlearringsbeingmysteriouslydeliveredtoGriet andwe releftwonderingifsheevermarriesPieter Text 13ThepaintingcanbefoundintheMauritshuisMuseuminTheHague Holland Ithasbeendescribedast
