“Close to Vermeer”

From February 10 through June 4, 2023 at the renowned Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the largest retrospective exhibition of works by the artist Johannes Vermeer was open to the public. This once in a lifetime exhibition saw and unprecedented 28 of the 37 known paintings by the 17th century master on display, with the museum breaking all attendance records with over 650,000 visitors. Tickets sold out almost instantly, and the art lovers who were able to visit are the luckiest of the bunch because there may never another Vermeer showcase as complete as this. How thankful aesthetes will be for “Close to Vermeer,” a documentary from writer / director Suzanne Raes. As the title suggests, the film takes viewers up close and personal with an in-depth cinematic experience of the exhibition.

This documentary will resonate with art lovers everywhere, as Raes spends time with a bevvy of experts, curators, historians, collectors, conservators, and fans as they prepare the exhibition and experience the joy of being surrounded by so many of Vermeer’s classic works. The behind the scenes access and details are fascinating, from the process of finding the paintings, organizing and planning the exhibit, the science of conservancy and discovery, and the negotiations, legal red tape, and other elements of such a large scale undertaking to procure the paintings on loan from museums and private collectors. Vermeer’s works are scattered across the globe, and it’s a phenomenal achievement that so many were able to be secured for exhibition in one location. The challenges faced will only make you appreciate it more.

Raes relies on the experts to shed a new light on the Dutch Master’s works, from dissections of the color palate, the brushstrokes, the cracks, and all the nuanced details that make a Vermeer a Vermeer. There’s a love here that’s conveyed on an intimate scale, especially the discussions about contested works that may or may not have been created by the famous painter. You share in their agony when a supposed Vermeer painting is discovered to have been created by someone else entirely.

The documentary deftly captures how subjective, profoundly meaningful, deeply personal, and passionately affecting art can be. I’ll admit that while I am an avid art lover and connoisseur, I have never been a huge fan of Vermeer. “Close to Vermeer” changed that. This documentary has given me the tools not only to see his works differently, but has fostered an appreciation and admiration of the artist that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

By: Louisa Moore