Johannes (Jan) Vermeer - Girl with a pearl earring

Title: Girl with a pearl earring (Meisje met de parel)
Artist: Johannes (Jan) Vermeer (1632-1675)
Date: 1665
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 45 x 39 cm

In “Girl with a pearl earring”, Vermeer captures the fleeting moment when the girl turns around to look with great intimacy at the viewer. Could it be her lover she is looking back to? The dark background lets only the girl head and shoulders appear. Vermeer paints her to look fresh and sensual- her round face is pure, soft and glowing like the large pearl earing she is wearing (pearls are a symbol of sensuality); her lips are red, full and moist; her large and clear eyes are looking at the viewer in a candid way. Is she expecting a word, a gesture?