Girl with a Pearl Earring, Johannes Vermeer
Johannes Vermeer·Girl with a Pearl Earring·c. 1665·Oil on canvas·Mauritshuis, The Hague↓

Johannes Vermeer Dutch, 1632 – 1675

Girl with a Pearl Earring, c. 1665

Your taste…

Not a portrait but a tronie, a study of an imaginary figure in exotic costume. She turns over her shoulder with parted lips against a dark ground. Recent research found the background was originally a green curtain that has faded.

Look closer

The famous pearl is just two strokes: a soft reflection below and a single bright highlight above.

Looks like this

Compared by a vision model

Shares its spirit