RINA CHAN

Some phenomenal features from the painting:

-the setting
-the geographer
-casual and comfortable clothing
-lighting from the small opening-timber framed window
-tools surrounding the geographer, such as the divider, globe, sea chart, maps on the floor etc

The Setting:
The chamber in which we see the Geographer is quite clearly his room, his work area: every item in it is for his use, on his scale, within his reach. It is a private space for him to work. He is the center of and the purpose for the room. The objects surrounding him are rigorously selected to tell us more about the man’s action and profession, and to add to the mood. ------private

The Geographer:
The Geographer, in a fleeting pose, slightly off balance, holding the divider in mid air, surrounded with his tools and looks out of the window, indicates an abrupt pause while the man weighs a new idea and stopped to think for a moment. This action shows the wisdom, knowledge and curiosity of the man towards exploration of the earth. He is passionate about his work. ------exploration

The Clothing:
The Robe, clothing of the geographer are imported from Asian country such as India, china and Japan and imply his open-minded, willingness and strong ability of accepting new things and ideas. ------strong receptivity of the newborn objects

The Lighting:
Window is the only opening that allows lights passing through to the interior space, brightened and illuminated the geographer and the tools. We see the clear, bright light flooding in the window, but we cannot see out of it: there is no cityscape or landscape to distract our attention, where we focus our vision on the geographer and setting inside the room. By the presence of window and by the fact that the man is looking toward it, it marks him as someone who is in touch with the outside world, with reality, not a scholar who isolate himself. The Geographer in this painting is curious to the world and willing to explore the complexity of the earth.

Tools:
The Divider, Vermeer altered the opening arc of the dividers that served the geographer to make measurements on his maps. The divider follows the direction of his head rised, the rolled yellow scroll and the incoming light more naturally. Most of the element in the painting follows the same angle and direction.

and The Globe, is turned to reveal the Indian Ocean, perhaps, as a note of national pride. This route was taken by the Dutch traders to reach China and Japan.

Narrative:

"A serene space surrounded by nature, for a scholarly geographer to explore and discover the infinity of the earth. "

"A scholarly geographer whose mind dwells on the landscape, math, geometry and calculation wants a serene space for his research on exploring and discovering the complexity of the greater world."

What does a geographer do?!

A geographer is a scientist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's physical environment and human habitat. They work close to the environment. Geographers study not only the physical details of the environment but also its effects on human and wildlife ecologies, weather and climate patterns, economics, and culture. They are often especially focused on the spatial relationships between these elements.

The Site:

Ramena, a fishing village not far from the northern tip of Madagascar

The Geographer in this painting is passionate about his role, willing to explore and to deal with new things and ideas in the greater world. There are two reasons why I have chosen Madagascar as my site for the geographer:

The environmental aspect:
Madagascar is considered worldwide as a "biodiversity hotspot." That is, compared to most other places on earth, Madagascar has a greater number of species of organisms (plants, animals, fungi, etc.), most of which cannot be found anywhere else on earth. Beside, Madagascar is a combination of landscape, such as the east coast is lined with coral beaches and lagoons, plateau, volcanic features such as crater lakes and steep sea cliffs in the far north and south etc.

Link to the painting:
As i mentioned in the analysis, the geographer in the painting is working on the route for the Dutch trader to reach China and Japan. Madagascar is a place that face the Indian Ocean, China and Japan.

Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascar
http://www.impetustoanalysis.com/2010/02/johannes-vermeer/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographer

The Geographer (De geograaf)
c. 1668-1669
oil on canvas
20 7/8 x 18 1/4 in. (53 x 46.6 cm.)
Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt am Main

Research information:

Jan Vermeer was a Dutch Baroque painter who specialized in beautiful, domestic interior scenes of middle class life. Vermeer painted mostly domestic interior scenes. His works are largely genre pieces and portraits, with the exception of two cityscapes and two allegories. His subjects offer a cross-section of seventeenth century Dutch society, ranging from the portrayal of a simple milkmaid at work, to the luxury and splendor of rich notables and merchantmen in their roomy houses. Besides these subjects, religious, poetical, musical, and scientific comments can also be found in his work.

"The Geographer" by Jan Vermeer, he has portrayed a geographer, an individual whose mind dwells on the landscape, measurements, math, geometry and calculations. This painting is a closed interior scene.

I have chosen “The Geographer” by Jan Vermeer because I found it is appealing to me. I love the way the light enters the room and illuminates the interior. The painting is done beautiful muted colors, basic. It is a person dedicated to the work at hand; he appears to have time to dwell on the task before him. To me there is nothing negative, frantic or unappealing in this painting. For me, he is a man enjoying the sunlight coming through the window while he is doing his research and discovery of the planet.