CECI N'EST PAS UN VERMEER
The painting "Ceci n'est pas un Vermeer" is based on "the Wine Glass", also named "a Lady drinking and a Gentleman" painted by Vermeer somewhere between 1658 and 1660.
Vermeer completed "the Wine Glass" in 1660, when he was 27 years old. The painting shows an image of a lady drinking a glass of wine and a gentleman ready to refill her glass. In the background hangs a painting of an arcadic forest landscape. At that time, this work could be understood as a reference to the amorous intentions of the gentleman.
In Bart Ocket's painting "Ceci n'est pas un Vermeer", the seated woman and the standing man were omitted, and the interior with the white glazed wine jug becomes a still life, enhanced by the incoming light flowing in through the semi-open window.
The painting in the background was replaced by one of the most famous works of the Belgian surrealist René Magritte called "The Empire of Lights".A painting of the depicted mansion could have been possible in Vermeer’s time, but without the surreal effect of a radiant cloudy sky combined with the house in a nocturnal atmosphere.
The most famous work of surrealist Magritte is undoubtedly "Ceci n'est pas une pipe”….
