Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Does Vermeer ever LOVE Griet?
We started out today's class discussion with this question: Does Vermeer ever LOVE Griet? Which I think is an excellent question. We defined the idea of love, or being in love. We talked about their relationship with each other, including the relationships both had with the other characters in the book. I think a lot of you had wonderful ideas about the question, so I would like to continue this discussion here, on Blogger. So, tell me, does Vermeer ever love Griet? Does Griet LOVE Vermeer? When is the 'turning point' of their relationship???
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I think Vermeer loves Griet to a point. More like a son-daughter relationship compared to a physical relationship. I think Griet loves Vermeer more than a father-daughter relationship. I think she physical loves him and is willing to do anything for him. I think the turning point of their relationship is when he asks her to help him paint the picture. From there I think that their relationships from both views takes off
ReplyDeleteWhich picture??????
DeleteThe entire novel and then movie is based on that picture,'The girl with a pearl earring' is the name of the picture.
DeleteVermeer was attracted to Griet love of art it was the passion he saw in her which slowly attracted him to her I believe griet was in love with his love of art his painting and his focus at the same time I believed in a since she wanted him but continued to be a strong headed young woman who clearly saw he had a family to raise. Once he saw her hair Vermeer in a way changed he was conditioned at that moment into her beauty he lost himself for a moment n realize he was married and could not escape griet was like art very beautiful inside an out to him she was sumone he could view a bit more colorful than the grey that was inside his heart his soul it was griet who brought it out more and with that his love for her grew i think at the end he knew it was time for her to go and that the color that shined bright by him would dim as she walked away His muse had to go he has studied by far to much he was enveloped into it to the point he lost him a bit is why he let her go I never saw a daughter father relationship but a teacher engulfed buy a muse so innocent yet colorful and beautiful and smart. My take on it it could have been but indeed griet wanted him but she let peiter have the heat she had for vermeer
DeleteI honestly think that he does love her at one point in time, but he was never in love with her. Vermeer's love for her was like a father loving his daughter, or a brother loving their sister because he always stood up for her.
ReplyDeleteThe ole' 'love' but not 'in love' conundrum.........
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ReplyDeleteI think that Vermeer grows to love Griet because she shares his passion for art. She sees the world the way a painter would, just like when she assembled the vegetables at the very beginning of the novel. He is intrigued by her but I think he uses her to an extent. He would never leave Catherine and his children for her although I think it is possible that he would have an affair with her. He likes teaching her to do things such as mix paint, and loves to paint her and just watch. I think that Griet really loves Vermeer. She knows it's "not an option" to be with him, but she still wishes she could. The turning point where I think she realizes this is when Vermeer first sees her without her bonnet on-something she wouldn't even let Pieter do until they got married. She described letting her see him with her hair down as a sense of "freedom" meaning with Vermeer she can be her true self. To Griet, that is what "love" is.
ReplyDeleteThis, my dear Grace, is a fantastic response! I like how you connected the 'hair' scene with Pieter and Vermeer together - a very solid, thorough and contemplative post. Thank you!
DeleteI think that Vermeer loved Griet, but mainly in a father-daughter platonic way. However, I do feel that there were moments where he did love her romantically, yet due to being her senior, and already being wed to Catherine, he knew that it would be wrong to act on such emotions. I feel that Griet did indeed love Vermeer, but in an unrestrained way. As though she did not understand to cope with the feeling of her first love.
ReplyDeleteAhhhh, so then Miss Emma, you are saying that Vermeer was Griet's 'first love,' if I am interpreting your 'unrestrained' description correctly. Interesting.....I like it!
DeleteI think that in Vermeer's eyes, they had a father- daughter relationship. But, i think that Griet wanted more than that. Vermeer was definitely protective of her and I think that she treasured that. I think that there were parts throughout the book where he "Loved" her, but wasn't "in love" with her. But when it comes to being "in love", i would say that there are parts, or phases when Vermeer is confused about what to do, as is Griet.
ReplyDeleteThe ole' 'love' but not 'in love' conundrum........just like what Taitum was saying. Do you think Vermeer is conflicted about Griet even after she leaves the household? Is that why he gives her the earrings?
DeleteI think this topic could be perceived in any way since there is no clear answer. We must infer in our own biased opinion. I think that Vermeer did have feelings for her. He hid them well, but in his own way he showed them. I could see some love radiating off of Griet too. They seemed to have a connection that maybe neither of them noticed or acted upon for the fear of getting caught and punished. I believe the turning point, or when their love maybe became more clear and relevant, was when he decided to paint her. He became protective of her also, and wanted her to be safe. From the start, he gave her his trust. Vermeer let Griet clean his art studio, where not even Catharina was allowed to go. He gave her that trust, which may have sparked those emotions of what I consider to be love. So in conclusion, I think they loved each other in their own way, but never truly acted upon such emotions. Can love exist, but never be truly acted upon? Or maybe even shown? That is my question for everyone.
ReplyDeleteI think that Vermeer did love Griet but not in a physical way. He loved her as if she were his daughter and he gave her that sort of protection. Vermeer also respected her and let her clean his art studio. I believe he did have some feelings for her. Griet loved Vermeer in that physical way. She always had this longing and wanting for him. If they had different love situations they could possibly end up together. However Vermeer would never leave Catherine and Griet knows that it's best for herself to be with Pieter. The 'turning point' in their relationship was most likely when Vermeer decided to paint Griet.
ReplyDeleteI think that he may of had feelings for her. But he never truly loved her to the point where he would of left his wife and kids and "ran" away with her.
ReplyDeleteI think that even though they would both never admit anything, that Vemeer did love Griet, very much so. He told her things that he would probably never tell anyone else. He also let her grind his paints! He didn't even let his own family do that. She was the only woman allowed in his studio, and he even let her sleep in the "secret" room above the studio. She was the only one that saw anything he worked on before it was finished. I know she was the maid, and she is forced to do these things, but it was more compassion.
ReplyDeleteI think he liked her more because he couldn't have her. You always want something more if you can't get it. He could of fell in love and show more affection, but it was cause many problems. His wife would get mad, Griet could of been punished, ect... Also I think Griet was smart enough to not make some foolish mistake.
ReplyDeleteI think Griet and Vemeer love eachother, yes and no. Griet kinda has mixed feelings. They both share the passion for the arts.They both see the world in artistic ways. They share a bunch of similarities. Also because first meeting her at her mother and father's house he sees her noticing the differences of the vegetables, and organizing the vegetables just like an artist would do. But also he never stood up for her, and never showed any interest in her outside the studio. So i really don't know! There's a lot of different answers to this question.
ReplyDeleteAlright, so I think Vermeer loved Griet, and he fell in love as he painted her, he saw many different aspects of her that many people couldn't see because they didn't have the relationship they had. However, Griet and Vermeer were distant yet close at the same time. Vermeer was very protective of Griet, especially when it came to Van Ruijven. At the same time, Griet trusted Vermeer and I think she fell in love with his artistic rather than the person himself.
ReplyDeleteI think Vermeer realizes how wrong his "love" is when he sees Griet's hair down. I mean, come on! The dude has how many kids?? AND a wife! He'd lose a lot if he would have "hooked up" with Griet. He's not that kind of person, or at least not to me. I feel like he cared for her as a daughter, but it kind of morphed into a "lovers" sort of thing.
Another thing to consider when you think about this is rebellion. I mean, Griet might have cared for Vermeer, but it might have been because it was "forbidden". Kind of like Romeo and Juliet. It made them want to be together more. Yet, Vermeer recognizes the threat to his family and profession, so he plays it off like they have a "master/apprentice" sort of relationship when it's so much deeper. Griet knows it's wrong from the start, and I'm sure she feels more than guilty about falling in love with a married man, so she married Pieter. I feel like she did that to make everyone around her happy. She made her family happy because of the meat. She could make Pieter happy, just like after Vermeer saw her hair. She had nothing to hide anymore so she found Pieter and. . . yeahhhhhhh. Anyhoo, this question is a matter of opinion and I could probably discuss this for days so I'm just going to shut up now. XD Haha.
I never thought about it this way Daelyn . nNICE JOB GURLY
DeleteIt seems to me that both Vermeer and Griet are fascinated by each other. In a society where neither can truly express their thoughts or identity, they are naturally drawn to that which makes them feel free or unrestrained. Griet constantly worries about rumours, her family, and her reputation. Vermeer worries about his family, his reputation, and, when van Ruijven interferes; Griet.
ReplyDeleteVermeer is a talented painter who knows that the clouds are not only white, but many colours. The first chapter shows that Griet has the mind of an artist as she organised the food into their own section like slices of pie. When asked, Griet replied that the colours "fight when they are side by side". This caught Vermeers attention, and I believe Griet never stopped surprising him; she kept her assistance to him a secret (mixing colours), she too saw multiple colours in the clouds, and she corrected the setting of van Ruijven's wife, explaining, "There needs to be some disorder in the scene, to contrast with her tranquility...Something to tease the eye. And yet it must be pleasing to the eye as well...". Vermeer later replies, "I had not thought I would learn something from a maid". At the end of the story, I believe, Vermeer left the pearl earrings with Griet to assure her that she did not fail him and that he cared for her. He wanted her to remember that he found a sense of freedom in their relationship. The pearl earrings would serve to remind Griet that she is not alone and she should not be ashamed of her identity.
I think that Vermeer loves her in a special way. He doesn't love her in a physical attraction sort of way, but in more of a father-daughter outlook. I think that Griet also feel the same about father-daughter outlook because she doesn't have strong physical feelings for him but she has regular friendship feelings about Vermeer. Although I did sense some moments in the book of romanticism. Vermeer understands that he is married to Catherine so it would be impure to have thoughts and physical feelings for Griet. I feel that the turning point in their relationship is whenever Vermeer asks Griet if he could paint her. From there on out it seems like they have a decent friendship.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Vermeer loves Greit, but not in the way that most people think when they are thinking about love. Vermeer loves Greit like she is his own daughter, and always has, because she has been working as a maid for him for a very long time now and they have bonded very well. Vermeer, though, does not love Greit in a so called "lovey dovey" way or feel sexual attraction toward her. I believe this because he has a wife that he has been married to for a while, and he has had very many children with his wife, and to leave her after all of that would be a very bad and mean thing of him to do. Finally, Greit is much, much younger than him, so I do not believe that he would be sexually attracted to someone very much younger than he his, especially since he has his wife as I said earlier.
ReplyDeleteI think Vermeer loved Greit in the way you would love a family member, and not in a sexual way. He let her help him out with various tasks that he did not let his wife do and even let Griet sleep in the studio. I don't think he ever looked upon her in any sexual way or showed attraction for her. I think it was just more of a "Father-Daughter" relationship. Plus, if he did have feelings for her, his wife would have gotten angry at him and Griet, which would have made Griet loose her job, and would have made Vermeer and his wife get a divorce.
ReplyDeleteI think that Vermeer loved Griet as if she were his child. I think he enjoys spending time with someone who has an art past and likes art. He looks out for Griet and also gives her special treatments like being able to go into his art studio (even though that is her job). I think that vermeer gets tired and annoyed of having so many people in the house that he likes the privacy of being alone with Griet. Vermeer knows that having physical or emotional connections with Griet would be wrong since he is married to Catherine, who is pregnant and has several kids. However, you never know what goes on inside Vermeer's mind.
ReplyDeleteI think Vermeer loved Griet in different perspectives. He loved that she was intelligent and was beautiful and kind. In other words, he loved her as if she were a sister to him. I can tell that Vermeer loved everything that Griet can do that Catherine can't do. Like Griet is patient and can be still, unlike Catherine she kept moving and wouldn't stop. That's why Vermeer painted Griet for his painting and not Catherine. BUT, at some parts in the book he loved her "romantically" but knew he couldn't do anything romantic or sexual to her because he is married to Catherine.
ReplyDeleteI personally believe at some levels he does. He is physically attracted to her and intrigued by her because she keeps so much to herself. I think Vermeer was physically attracted to Griet and I think Griet was attracted to Vermeer for his creativity and intelligence. Vermeer wants to know her secrets and her opinion on the people in his life. He wants to know what she hides under her turban./ He also believes in her enough to give her the pearl earrings, and to paint her and respect her rights and opinions. I think in the end it may have just been a fascination, and the same for Griet. You could even say Griet is in love with the idea of love, because she's never had the opportunity to feel these emotions for someone before. Overall, I think that they both love each other in the sense that they care about each other's well being. However, loving each other as more than that was merely just a fascination. Also, part of it is probably that Vermeer is bored and irritated with Catharina.
ReplyDeleteI think he does love her in some ways. He lets he stay in the studio every night and he lets her make paint. He also has to hide the love because he is married. His wife isn't allowed in his studio. He also stares at Griet everyday for a few hours to paint her. He also leaves her the pearl earrings behind.
ReplyDeleteHe loved her. But they are from different worlds. But that passion that I felt during reading and watching a movie. I was so in love with them both.
ReplyDeleteThank you for responding to our blog 'Unknown' :) What about this idea: Vermeer did love Griet, but as an object, not as a person. In the book, when describing how the artist looks at his muse, he sees her as an 'ideal' - the way most artists look at the subjects they are painting. As a young woman, she is enthralled by Vermeer's attentions (and the safety he provides within his household,) and sees his poignant looks as 'true love' between two people. She is captivated, as we all are when someone we love/admire looks at us as if we are the only souls on Earth. The most telling aspect of his depth of love is once he paints G.W.A.P.E., their 'love affair' ends. So, I agree with you, Vermeer and Griet are 'in love' but for different reasons....just not the 'in love' that lasts a lifetime. I ask you this, does Griet ever really love Pieter?
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a safe and relaxing Memorial Day Weekend!