REVIEW: ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ enthralls Frick visitors in final days of exhibition

NEW YORK — Right now, it appears the most popular museum exhibition in New York City (or anywhere else) is the Frick Collection’s Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Hals: Masterpieces of Dutch Paintings from the Mauritshuis. The simple and beautiful exhibition, featuring “Girl with a Pearl Earring” by Johannes Vermeer and “The Goldfinch” by Carel Fabritius, is packing in crowds as if the “Mona Lisa” were in town. A long line stretches down Fifth Avenue, and the wait can take hours. However, the artistic payoff and appreciation are worth the wait.

For $20, guests gain access to the special exhibition, plus the regular galleries of the impressive Frick Collection. “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” Vermeer’s masterpiece and subject of a famous bestselling book, is the first painting visitors see in the exhibition. It receives a proper place in the center of an oval room, begging for several minutes of deep stares. The seeming effortlessness of Vermeer’s skill and technique are mesmerizingly profound. The gentleness of the girl’s face coupled with her wan eyes make for a portrait that simultaneously displays beauty and asks for empathy. The blue turban atop her head is only trumped by the enormously large pearl dangling from her left earlobe. There’s a sadness behind the girl’s visage, and yet the artist’s specific intentions are not clear.

And, yes, “Girl with a Pearl Earring” is as intoxicating a painting as the “Mona Lisa.”

It’s recommended that guests view the famous painting from all sides of the room. Watch her from the left and right, up front and in the back. Besides the effect of having the girl’s eyes follow you around the room, there are many discoveries to be had from the different vantage points. Also, be prepared to be jostled by the many other attendees. The Frick Collection, ably handling security and crowd control, allows a lot of people into the exhibition space. This means it can take a few minutes to work your way up to the front. Patience is a virtue.

The remaining paintings in the special exhibition are located in the adjacent room. And although because of their bunching together they feel inferior to “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” they are equally beautiful. The entire exhibition is a testament to the excellence of the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis in The Hague, the Netherlands, where the pieces are normally held. As the Mauritshuis undergoes renovations, visitors to the Frick and a few select museums around the world have the chance to see the Dutch classics without getting on a plane.

In the second room, “The Goldfinch,” subject of another bestselling book, commands attention. The intricate brush strokes of Fabritius are evident, but only upon close inspection. Look at the tiny beak and tucked-in wings. See how the bird, representing freedom, is tethered to a small bar, unable to fly away. It’s a simple painting but one that resonates. Because of its small size, it’s also the one painting the most difficult to appreciate in the exhibition. So many people hovering around the Fabritius masterpiece can draw from its simplicity.

Rembrandt is also well represented with “Simeon’s Song of Praise” and the wonderful “Portrait of an Elderly Man,” among other paintings. Nicolas Maes’s “Old Lacemaker,” from 1655, is a personal favorite. The details on the face of this lacemaker are finely drawn, and the darkness that pervades her working space has a haunting quality.

Although seeing this handful of paintings could take a few minutes, it’s best to rotate around the room several times, soaking in the richness of the exhibition’s offerings. Allow at least 60-75 minutes and perhaps more for deeper appreciation.

Be mindful that the exhibition closes Sunday, Jan. 19; this means lines are likely to be extremely long. Online advance tickets are currently sold out; however, day-of and advance tickets can be purchased in person at the Frick, located on 70th Street and Fifth Avenue. To avoid the wait, consider purchasing a membership to the museum. An individual level at $75 grants access to the special exhibition (with no line) and the regular galleries (including repeat visits for a full calendar year).

A final note: These blockbuster exhibitions are built around the popularity of one or two pieces, but true art lovers will take in the full collection of both the exhibition and museum as a whole. “Girl with a Pearl Earring” and “The Goldfinch” are worth the hoopla, but they ought to begin a much larger conversation that looks at the connective tissue among these Dutch masterpieces from Vermeer, Rembrandt and others. The popular ones may sell the tickets, but they shouldn’t be the only paintings appreciated in a visit to the exquisite Frick Collection.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

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