The Fullest View of Vermeer Still Leaves Plenty to the Imagination

Vermeer’s paintings invite this kind of fantasizing because of the simplicity of his scenes, said Erwin Olaf, a Dutch contemporary artist who takes inspiration from Vermeer’s work. His photographs, like “Portrait #5,” of a young woman in a yellow dress, can be seen as modern takes on Vermeer’s minimalist stillness. In 2019, 10 of Olaf’s photos were displayed alongside Dutch old masters in the Rijksmuseum, highlighting similarities.

3 February 2023