Painting of the Dutch artist Jan Vermeer Delftsky “In the Vault”. The size of the picture is 143 x 130 cm, canvas, oil. In the mid-fifties of the 17th century, after the creation of his early paintings on the religious and mythological themes “Holy Pracesa”, “Christ in the House of Mary and Martha”, “Diana and the Nymphs”, “Jupiter, Venus and Mars” Vermeer in his work commits a very decisive step towards a change in the genre theme.
Apparently, the artist did not like the role of the interpreter of the borrowed historical and biblical subjects and, having decided to depict in his paintings everyday life and life of citizens of the independent city of Delft, the painter turned to writing scenes from everyday life, to a genre in which artists such as Gerard Terborch, Gerrit van Honthorst, Peter de Hoogh, Jan Sten, partly Frans Huls, and other Dutch masters.
In the painting “In the Vault”, the artist Vermeer is dominated by three bright color spots – the red coat of a soldier, the yellow blouse of a girl and the colorful carpet, which are clearly discernible in the dim light of candles.
The influence of Rembrandt’s chiaroscuro in this picture is quite palpable. Rembrandt’s concept of the use of bright saturated colors in only one part of the canvas could become known to Vermeer, thanks to the pictures of the pupils of the great Dutchman Nicolas Mays or Jacob van Welsen, who lived in a block with the Vermeer family.
The plot of the picture is built on the basis of the evangelical parable of St. Luke about the rampant life of the prodigal son, the picture is a hidden allegory in its meaning and a warning that a reveler, a moth and drunkard is facing imminent poverty. As mentioned earlier, most researchers of the work of the artist Jan Vermeer Delftsky tend to believe that under the guise of the prodigal son, Vermeer portrayed himself, and in the image of the seductive beauty his young wife Katarina Bolnes.
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