Architectural Narrative

Woman holding a balance - Johannes Vermeer (Dutch, 1632-1675)


Brief Analysis/ideas____
Light entering through the window softly illuminates the room, leading the eye from the window, down to the figures hand, up the body and out to the balance. The hand holding the balance, located directly at the vanishing point of the painting forms a strong link between the straight edges and the human element. behind the figure is located a painting of the last supper, which brings in strong allegorical meanings to the painting. the relationship between religion in the background, and then at the fulcrum of the painting, a woman balancing what is seemingly nothing but light. this suggests that the woman is using the balance as a spiritual measure, judging things which can not be seen. this idea is further reinforced by the position of the mirror, on the edge of the painting, foreground to the window. the use of colour to suggest materials is most obvious in the material of the curtain, casting a soft yellow glow over the scene, and obscuring the light at certain points where the material is thickest. also important is the gentle, elegant dress of the woman - the white hood suggesting her purity and goodness, and as such, a suitable judge of things beyond the physical realm.


The window, despite being hidden, plays a vital part in illuminating the scene and drawing our attention to parts of the painting.

Keywords____
Judgement
Weighing
Gentle
Religious



Narrative____
Her finger forms the balance, judging the invisible.
Her presence links the physical to the meta-physical.
Judgment defined her life, creating balance in all that she touched.



Design Concepts____
Balanced spaces.
"Purity" in design --> from the white hood (reinforces religious aspect)
Lighting reinforces this purity, symmetrical windows.
Detail the walls, relating spaces with windows and lighting
Single entrance, allowing gentle progression through the buliding, similar to the light bathing the wall in the painting.




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