The Goldfinch, painted in 1654 by the young Carel Fabritius, was on show at the Frick in New York as part of “Vermeer, Rembrandt and Hals: Masterpieces of Dutch Painting from the Mauritshuis” which ended on January 19th 2014. Real Vermeers. For unreal Vermeers see the previous blog (http://lexieintrator.blogspot.fr/2014/01/authenticity-vermeer-and-van-meegerens.html).
Lance Esplund is eloquent in his description:
"Carel Fabritius studied with Rembrandt and influenced Vermeer. Among the most charming and rare pictures here is his "Goldfinch". The bird is a fluttery, feisty, wispy little guy perched on its feeding box. Emblazoning its black wing -- like a logo that both grounds and sets the bird alight -- is an opaque yellow lightning-bolt."
and
"Like Vermeer’s “Girl,” which inspired a book and film, this small picture has been in the spotlight recently because of Donna Tartt’s new novel, “The Goldfinch.”(my emphasis). At the Frick, the charming bird won’t outshine Vermeer, but it might just break a few hearts of its own."http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-24/vermeer-s-girl-with-a-pearl-earring-seduces-at-frick.html
Aha, The Book.
Malcolm Jones first reads The Book and then decides to attend the exhibit and view "The Goldfinch" himself.
"Standing before the Fabritius painting, feeling it tug on me from across the room, even when my back was turned, I knew exactly what Theo Decker meant. I could stare at that painting for a year, and still not be able to tell you how he did it, but in its presence, I knew that Fabritius did make art and it was magic.
The Goldfinch was painted the year Fabritius died. The most promising painter of his time, student of Rembrandt, an influence on Vermeer, he was killed at the age of 32 when a gunpowder magazine exploded in Delft in 1654. Nearly all his paintings were destroyed. The Goldfinch, for whatever reason, survived. The man explaining the painting in the museum claimed that if you look at its surface closely, you could still see minute traces of the explosion."
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/12/01/face-to-face-with-the-goldfinch-the-painting-from-donna-tartt-s-novel.html
The collection returns to the Mauritshuis later this year. I will make the pilgrimage.
But what about The Book-- The Goldfinch, the new novel by Donna Tartt? A different story.
