The controversy around Tim's Vermeer is missing the point
Inventor Tim Jenison spent 343 days recreating Vermeer's 'The Music Lesson' using period-appropriate optical technology to test a controversial art theory.
- Art historians David Hockney and Philip Steadman first proposed that Vermeer used lenses and mirrors to achieve his photorealistic style, sparking academic debate.
- Critics called Jenison's resulting painting a 'stillborn simulacrum' and accused the film of reducing artistic genius to mechanical process, missing its experimental purpose.
- The documentary's actual argument is that Vermeer could have used optical aids without diminishing his artistic achievement, challenging purist views of creativity.
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