"A Girl With a Pearl"An exhibit of Dutch painters was recently at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. Included in the exhibit was the painting byJohannes Vermeer, “Girl with a Pearl Earring” and, as the name implies, the artist uses a pearl earring as a focal point. This is one of the best-loved paintings in the world . . . and it is a mystery. Who is the model and why has she been painted? What is she thinking as she stares out at the viewer? Are her wide eyes and enigmatic half-smile innocent or seductive? And why is she wearing a pearl earring? The book in this piece is a contemporary novel by Tracy Chevalier by the same name Besides the book, this piece also includes a mannequin head, clock gears and a mainspring, gold acrylic paint atop vintage book text, vintage sewing patterns, and of course a pearl earring.
