In this series of portraits I have reproduced five of Johannes Vermeer’s famous paintings, however, in each picture I have added a modern object of choice. Its main aim is to remind the viewer that they are contemporary observers and that a photograph can have as strong a meaning as a painting. It explores the coexistence of two different eras, the 17th century and today. It was based on the relationship of painting and photography over these periods and introduces the role of directed photography to this relationship. It is said that Vermeer worked in a studio with a room-sized camera obscura where he played the role similar to that of photographic film. This he achieved by painting using a mirror to trace what was projected on the wall through the lens, having been reverted and flipped. Today, I repeat the image using my digital camera instead.
