13 September 2023
Jane Choy-Thurlow
Synopsis
The poetry of Vermeer’s paintings is immediate and recognizable, yet almost impossible to describe or explain. What is it that holds the viewer before a beautiful young girl in an exotic turban, a woman replying to a letter, or a couple at an intimate music lesson? It is not the narrative, for there is hardly any, but something more universal. In Vermeer’s hands: the stillness of a quiet street, a woman’s concentration on lacemaking, or the soft light that gently illuminates a scholar in his study, become at once heightened and familiar, reminding us of fleeting moments in our own lives. Through his sensitivity to light, colour and composition, Vermeer transforms such ordinary subjects into expressions of perfect balance and harmony.
CV
Born in Massachusetts, Jane E Choy-Thurlow is a docent, giving lectures and tours at the Mauritshuis, where she was involved with the recent acclaimed exhibition on Vermeer; the Prince William V gallery; and the Huygens Museum Hofwijck in The Hague. She has also worked as a volunteer for many years at the RKD (The Dutch Institute of Art) which is the largest repository for art information in the world. In 2018 she was given the honour of Knight in the Order of Oranje Nassau by the Dutch King Willem Alexander of Orange for her knowledge and work in the field of the arts.