Views on Vermeer

is a documentary devoted to the art of the 17th-century Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. Over the course of 12 chapters, four contemporary photographers, three artists, three writers, two curators, an architect, an art dealer, and an art historian discuss their admiration for his work. Among them is Tracy Chevalier, author of the historical novel (the film version of which was directed by Peter Webber); American photojournalist Steve McCurry, who shot the famous portrait; American artist Chuck Close; and the Dutch photographer Erwin Olaf. Each chapter focuses on a particular quality of Vermeer's work, helping the audience to look upon it with new eyes: from the way he painted bricks to the hidden political subject matter, by way of the tableaux he chose to depict. also explores the probability that he used a camera obscura when painting. The Vermeer aficionados are filmed in their own natural habitat with their own work or that of the painter's close at hand, and accompanied by their "own" musical theme. Vermeer comes into relief as a direct precursor of photography and cinema, as well as a continuing and important inspiration for contemporary fine arts.