W fire made for mines. Ah sheesh ah, a deceptively simple image. Yon premiers girl reading a letter at an open window from 1657. Standing just beyond the curtain. She seems peaceful at one with herself and the moment. The letter hints at the presence of the world outside and into this calm, intimate moment, a figure intrudes a naked cupid. The god of love and desire was detected in an x ray analysis decades ago, but was largely ignored by the art world. Now hes made a dramatic re entrance, a new restoration made clear that the cupid had been painted over by another artist after vermeer of death. The revelation made headlines around the world. The German Museum that owns the painting, the old masters, picture gallery or camella galaxy and dresden decided to uncover the figure so long concealed official. This really is unique. Most basic. He means me writing veneer scholarship. Ah, a sensational outcome. After years of research. For centuries, people have been fascinated by the enigmatic paintings of yon vermeer. His works have long defied definitive interpretation. And that has made the artist the subject of highly contentious debates among the worlds art scholars in dresden, a well funded team of internationally renowned premier experts got to work using cutting edge technology. They got remarkable results. What started out as the restoration of a single painting, as led to the radical transformation of an iconic image. It was the Art Historical equivalent of open heart surgery. The removal of a layer of paint revealed a cupid and provided plenty of food for thought. As an actually you have this iconic painting that is imprinted itself in our collective consciousness. Now its no longer there. Its been replaced by another paintings to death because as far as wins offenses for removing the paint is tantamount to a raising history of our motto, victor. And he put that on if we have the names here of individuals who may have painted over the mayor. Tom, ah, are you one of those who are attracted by the unknown and unrecognised . Are you curious about mystery in reality . About shadow and light . The 2 extremes of both art and life. At the museum in the hague, a suit, purve, and utterly unique painting stops all visitors in their tracks. That makes a lasting impression on artists and connoisseurs alike. Its the view of the town of delved by Young Vaughan the mere these are the words of the man who rediscovered vermeer in 18. 65. In the nearly 2 centuries after the painters death, his work had fallen into obscurity. We dont know a lot about from erie is known as the sphinx of dealt because we know so little about his life. Had he lived in delft, which is a town in the netherlands and he had lots of children more than 10 children. So how he got time to paint, i dont know known as yawn or johan us, premier is the most famous son of delved the city where he spent his entire life. He was born here in 1632 and ara later called the dutch golden age. A time of unprecedented prosperity for the netherlands when the arts and sciences flourished along with international trade. In total, yon vermeer is legacy amounts to just 37. 00 paintings. But each of them is a masterpiece and guaranteed ticket seller for any exhibition. All of them were produced in delphi. Vermeer lived on boulders gawked for many years. Right around the corner from the st. Lucas artists guild, of which he was a member. He moved homes just once and thus lived his whole life within a radius of 100 meters. To day that tiny patch of dell draws premier fans from around the world. Vermeer only ever painted to exterior views. The rest of his works depict interiors. The outside world is present only in the light that pours in through lead glass windows. Premiers compositions are a camera obscura, in the truest sense, darkened chambers with light entering from one solitary point. Space is characterized by a feeling of intimacy and concealment. They arouse in the viewer and urge to unravel a mystery. His paintings are a 3 dimensional experience. Ah, vermeer conjured a fleeting moments with a power that enthralls no adherents of strict realism. He frequently changed the scale and form of objects. Many of his pictorial elements were inspired by the well to do homes of the burgeoning middle class. Ah, the perspective geometry of the floor tops items from every day life, an artist with an imagination that opened up new horizons. And premiers very particular palette of colors which hailed in part from more exotic climes. And this is the blue pigment, called indigo, that would have come from far away either in asia or from the west indies. This is a yellow pigment called weld, that is made from a plant that probably grew in the netherlands. And when these 2 colors were mixed together, it would have made a transparent green ah, a new style of painting. Incorporating the technological marbles of the time. Young premiers friendship with a lens grinder from del, introduced him to optical innovations like the camera obscura. In premiers imagination, the camera obscura was like the i, its lens, the pupil. Its screen the retina, a pete box that cast images on to the wall. This was also the dawn of a new age and art one that build a vacuum. A 100 years after the reformations, destructive iconoclasm. In 1566 protestant iconoclast christians, who saw depictions of religious figures as blasphemous, destroyed paintings and churches across delved. Oh, they also rebelled against the curtains that had traditionally been draped across the churches. Holiest and most revered paintings to protect them from the masses. Mm. The painted curtain would eventually become a motif in its own right. Deployed once again by various dutch painters in the mid 17th sent ah, as a inbounds via the 8 is rembrandt. Was the 1st to paint the frame, complete with curtain right into the pitch up in the spilled he, 9 of and then this is east alpha. There randall for an item. So the exterior curtain now becomes a motif highly am build motif via and illusionary trick called tom ploy. Literally meaning deception of the i i know and that is i, you could also see it as us. The view is being deceived. Terry snatter, violet, because we see the image of a curtain which invites us to try and see behind it. Van un sites basin seen swan. Hes but that desire to see more about whats hidden behind the curtain is not just about some of the world view or a view from a window veil over. Im fence thou split for boonton. So none meet metaphorically. Its about wanting to see more through the medium of art in beers, im on fonder, my leg, i pay it can be interpreted as the genesis of ours appreciation. Rec hospital. Im out there constantly. Papa. I fished in at the peak of the golden age, dutch artists were producing 70000. 00 paintings a year. A prolific rate, unprecedented in the history of art does position so its very apt for the 17th century, more a time when concepts of time and space were being revolutionized as wandering. Im up to that pointed if the world was considered to be in gods, hands, and pre determined mia, its foy, its in the 17th century that people began to see themselves as self determining style can. Ah, yon ramirez paintings are and remain superbly devised invitations to explore new worlds. Ah, for mr. Tyler allison booth. What i love about this painting is that its such a small room, but the longer you look at it, the more expensive the room becomes. So it opens up, it is a hallmark after it says this early work from 1657. 00 already incorporates premiers core elements. The use of light, the transient moment, the suggestion of a narrative, ah, flushed in it, sparks your fancy and imagination. Man is suddenly youre in a different world and just as the woman read and he is in another world, one of various worlds brought to life by johan is premier. Busy interiors where the 4th wall is cast aside as premier gives us moments of intimacy for the ages. Ah and yet for a time for mirrors work was forgotten until a re discovery in dresden augustus the 3rd king of poland, an elector of saxony, military commander, and one of the greatest art patrons of his time. A man with visionary plans, they included the creation of an art gallery, so grand, all of europe would hear of it. Their clinic is stopped by to some the king had a series of paintings ready for the connection. On initially, they were housed in what was still in the 17th century by the royal stables, is in zips in yelled at us. Im saying this is whether the mer to galleria was established. You can maybe get it done english that, that with the royal gallery essentially became a pro tell museum, a temple of art open to all a presentation of his majestys good taste or bonn, goof, the monarch as arbiter deciding which works well worthy of display. Always it, oh gosh, it is the 3rd was a real connoisseur. He took an active interest in painting and was directly involved in the acquisitions. He made the tie leash while though the major hubs of the fine art trade were some distance away. The 17th century saw a veritable frenzy of art collecting both in italy and france, and especially in paris. On the flourishing french market, the principal buyers were cardinals, royalty the aristocracy, the clergy and monasteries purchasing by a correspondence with their agents on the spot. Collectors hosted the 1st public exhibitions of contemporary art by the 18th century auctions were already playing a major role in paris. Art dealers 1st began to emerge. Old documents paint a vivid picture of how augustus was able to build up his unique collection. Carrying on pets ish, the a mysteries from saxony dispatched an alert to placed in about the impending sale of an important connection. With a coughed, dutch and flemish artists were producing paintings of the highest quality. But augustus, as agents and paris were after something else. The prized collection of victor amadeus, the 1st of savoy, the prince of connie, all eyes is absent. And when the prince of karen yano died in france in 1741, the chief consent for augustus was his collection of italian paintings to the sea, which is why he sent his agents to paris. Again, not bodies. The market was a highly competitive one. With the kings of france and portugal, among the bidders augustus employed a range of art savvy experts and the flemish conservatory. In total, he managed to acquire 30 paintings from the colony, all collection, spending a fortune in the process. And all of your tube he shed it. We can see him which paintings from the famous prince of karen. Yeah, no collection went from paris to saxony rule on the handle. I hoped. And the most prominent among them was a gift beat isis in my id to an e. Proud to shoot a mushy as meaning granted on top of the trade. So a present shake. Ah, dont you know who did dub luke, who will take signals . Horses ha, as wounded in among the many paintings received i your excellency in the one is i rembrandt get this ions from the him. Punt looks his aunt, all engine fi, t v. So he Jennifer Nick does as depicting a young girl reading across from a window on his fence thus hes ah, ah, this man wilmington is being mistaken for rembrandt. It is due solely to the painted curtain. The curtain was the key elements of the masterpiece. Busy an invitation to take a closer look at the scene. This means that by adding a painted curtain, i real, rembrandt was declaring this painting of his ease is to be a masterpiece. I my fish trick bixler here. This isnt good. Thank and. And it was a gift to a print one that so it had to be valuable while henderson. And he was the most celebrated dutch painter, rembrandt. Linus off, and that for me is the reason why this painting, which was obviously very valuable, ended up going to placed in as a rembrandt account. I think of a different im pump. Ah, so after being given the list of paintings, the king said, i want that one, that one and that one. Then he told is cheap emissary in paris to verify an essential question. Authenticity. Transportation was another issue with the wet autumn weather create problems. What about the temperature . And could the paintings be rolled up in a cylinder . Eventually the paintings from the colony on collection arrived in dresden. There they were soon put on display in the kings new museum. Ah, one picture was kept from public view. The one given to the king as a present. The girl reading a letter was placed in the kings chambers. The painting was now part of an exclusive and illustrious group. One that included the very best of dutch painting. A privileged position, ah, shrouded in mystery. It was hidden away in the private rooms of the ruler of saxony and poland, measuring 83. 00 by 64. 00 and a half centimeters. This every day, seen by a dutch master graced the kings cabinet room. This cabinets it being an integral part of the palace is ceremonial apartments. Access to the cappy night was obviously restricted to a room where the king could retreat, screening alone or with guests to contemplate his paintings her at pleasure, uncooked on the paintings. There were almost exclusively dutch and flemish works depicting generic seals soon after its constructed intimacy, intimidated, ah. Busy on the script is a spirit mom, entering this picture is not straightforward for you 1st have to go past the curtain, then across the rug, brick. And suddenly there you are. Mando. Now your parts of event. So she and although events is almost incorrect, as nothing is actually happening, there is no story hunt lo. Busy ah, all you see, is this woman completely absorbed in what shes doing . Oh, what might she be reading . Her concentrated bass is reflected in the window. Oh, how does this woman feel imprisoned or free like the world beyond her window questions that retain their fascination to this day . By 1765, the painting had left the kings private rooms and could now be seen in dresden skim, melted gallery. Busy busy t a fist naga made a godaddy is seek amelia galani and i. Easton is on par with the leuva in terms of the quality of the paintings at the stump. This was also true in the 18th century life from lou. But brown says wrong collection in the louvre was completely inaccessible to the public. At this time, a finding mitten, a hit when placed in his command. The gallery opened in 1746. Can any one british, any artist, student with all base cattle, and we know this from the visitor records accent and could go inside indian connecticut at a higher ah, a feast of gold and color accessible to wall, regardless of their social class or origins. Ah, ah tazza displeased and suddenly have this well renowned connection victory. That so all the artists who used to make the journey to montana and rome now had to go to the instant listener. Na, kristen ah. Augustus the thirds passion for art extended far beyond the borders of saxony. The birth of this now legendary collection would always be associated with the monarch. Dresden is still referred to as the florence of the north. A home for art, a celebration of beauty in the form of a public collection, for every one to see as its in that of infancy, in 1775, the camille de gallery su daneen catalogue made a go to the the camille. The gallery had a convenient place, small folks can easily accessible for visitors. Thought that that was characteristic. I scramble on and suddenly checked the vin. Mia pops off and still still listed as rembrandt. Girl reading at a window ready to convey to go to v a. Fixation. And what of course, its of him here from now on to that much the official entry of this painting into the command gallery to go to the and how it was inducted into the history of aunt quince squished rediscovering vermeer for the art world. This was etienne yoseph tail feel ta gaze quest. He would spend almost 10 years of his Life Tracking down the spinks of dealt as he called the artist talk ray travelled frequently between the hague and brussels. And later to berlin found shy and vienna. He examined various collections, recommending this superlative dutch mens works to his wealthy friends and newcomers to the art market. A painter who was still relatively unknown due to the small number of his works. Other people had helped to identify premiers paintings. But credit for truly resurrecting the painters legacy goes to toby ah, guided by comments written by a Berlin Museum director toys journey eventually took him to dresden, there in the royal gallery of augustus. The 3rd. Torbay was able to identify 2 works by yon premier, a triumph ah, among all the old masters on the walls. With these 2, he recognized something ineffable. Hed seen it and all the other premier paintings in brussels, berlin, and vienna. They had been painted by the hand of vermeer. Ah, for me, ellis, if he live inside and blew them off for mere leaves, a great deal in his paintings, open an unresolved hop. He works with nuances, bundle and in general with subtle modification must fit with what we call the atmospheric indies. And in doing so, he entices us into this atmosphere ish. It seeped improved on anna. I enjoy it in a way. He introduces ambiguity and coaxes our imagination. So that we think that something unresolved that contact we want to take a better look like its a find out more astonished question on, are you still bringing this picture to life in your mind and my am close to the spirit to believe them on when it comes to the relationship between a work of often its observer kong. What could be better . Whats his dea, a monkey, not soon. Blue abbey vandeveer has spent years examining what is indisputably one of the most famous paintings in the history of art. Premiers girl with the pearl airing of painting thats been celebrated on the big screen, interpreted and reinterpreted over the centuries by a host of observers from the church to royalty, art historians and Museum Directors to day scientific experts deploy state of the art analysis. Really, we wanted to see with these new technologies and with and group of International Researchers with lots of different equipment and lots of different expertise, bringing them altogether and find out how much we could find out about the painting as a whole. And from that, some amazing discoveries came up that we hadnt even expected from the beginning. Modern technology, shifting the narrative, when it comes to old masterpieces. The new technological options are tantalizing. With their promise to let us take a peek over the artists shoulder during the process of creation. Ah we took the painting off of her usual spot here on the wall and brought her to the golden room of the modest house on especially built easel inside a glass enclosure. And within that enclosure, over a 2 week period, scientists and their equipment. Were used to examine the painting to day scientific analyses routinely use a wide range of imaging devices such as x rays and infrared reflex typography. Microscopic examinations and even invasive microscopic procedures take place and sterile laboratories. And sometimes in full view of the public. It was important for us to keep the painting visible to the public because this is a very important painting that the public love very much. After all, who doesnt love the painting dubbed the mona lisa of the north. The girl with the blue turban and that irresistible glint in her eye, and of course the earring, a mere whisper of white premiers masterpiece, has practically become a pop culture event. With modern discoveries, drawing a new generation of visitors, we knew from samples that were taken in the 19 ninetys that originally the background had a different color that on top of a black under layer for mir applied a glaze that contains 2 pigments. One of them blue, indigo, and one of them yellow called weld. So this glazed, this transparent layer on top would have been a very dark green. But then in the top right corner we discovered some diagonal lines. So with this information and the knowledge now that these pigments, these yellow and blue pigments were used, makes us now realised that the background was originally a green curtain. The last green curtain, the tension between concealment and revelation. It draws us in. Now what had begun with an x ray analysis for decades ago was set to be resolved. The initial discovery was ignored by International Art scholars who assumed the over painting had been done by premier himself. But had it under the expectant d, among the experts who advised augustus the thirds agent in paris was the flemish man. My law. I was bent the painter under restorer. How could this shall young batista slots slots is . And he was famous for his talent for storing it. We painting and touching up works shihean, including venza, flemish and dutch pain tests, and made this in the south. We know that he also restored a number of paintings from the carrying yano collection in prior to that arrival in placed enough place to close it. Upset now doesnt of all we cant sand call us whether that girl reading a letter was one of these is, is but its a legitimate assumption. Antonini, perhaps m r artists, or restorers who came along later, wanted to a sort of update the paintings to appeal more to the sensibilities of the time. So for instance, young woman reading a letter in an open window, perhaps in the time that it was over painted. They wanted to the viewer to concentrate on the stillness, the beauty, the concentration of the woman, and not be distracted by the cupid behind her. As blight, speculative volume as to the gl model. Mm hm. And why it was over painted remains a point of speculation and will never be precisely explained. I know quite tour for me. It seems like a subsequent correction. For me. Its a very early the man tish between below uncorked than consisted a of i cant of so and if you look at it later, paintings your, he largely leaves out allegorical additions like this were from, from me. Im course who can as i was faxed, as perhaps some connoisseur of them is work said to deny he never would have painted it like that in his later period. Thats corrected as he would have an a raised his fresco in the back on study and user uses the fresco sikander. In 2019, the cml de galleria greeted the art sensation of the year. The picture had a new feature, cupid, the god of love and desire. I dont teach loss of him when we decided to restore the girl reading a letter we made use of all available analytical techniques. Was into a great surprise of it. We realised that this over painting was not by vermeer hemmed up. It must have been done several decades later by someone else and samuels as good as, as the painting was bought and brought to trial in as a rembrandt. But this strange and rowdy cubit in the background would have been out of place in francisco, pass a revelation, a more colorful, playful side to vermeer. But what would the experts say . An International Team gathered to hear the man in charge of restoration, explain why they get feared i english by doris. De leon got off. He notes thus in mind. What are strategy for the restoration seeks to do is to put the painting in the condition in which it might have left the art studio hunter. As always nice hawk, initially, it was a shock and i did this opens up whole new avenues of interpretation in lucas cadence. And i told me unquestionably exposing the cupid figure gives the picture of our clear message. Oh kid, come on of all fog but almost us all. Conversely, you can also ask why the so called original is so important. Why come back in times it for sure you can say, because this was al vermeer painted it offers italy for me as that if we now claim to be capable of recreating the original picture in that we would have to 1st learn to see things as they did in the 17th century read aloud and v m. Zip st. Yona say about suzanne. There is the tendency to have to weigh the historical value of changes that have happened to an object over time versus the artists original intention. And is it important to preserve those historical changes or to bring back a painting as close as it was to when vermeer painted it . Ah, its a debate that now accompanies the work of yon vermeer like a shadow. And i have i it is. And that decision was also a brave one with the previous history going back to 1979. People knew after we x ray that there was something underneath. I 1st went alley. When he does a showed which was in mine, arg, after finch, i and chromes was on gavia. They could have said, yes, we do know about the over painting and what used to be hidden behind it. And a happy to pass on that knowledge is vis a game, or we can still live with how its been for centuries, him leap because thats also a part of its history history. And now this over painting is in turn being a raised visit grandma. So removing the paint is tantamount to a raising history fast, so it was fair. I negotiated so after all, bermonte, the rebel motto vector. And in my experience, people are really excited when there is a New Discovery on a painting that they have known for a long time. But on the other hand, there are also people who have known the painting to look this way for a very long time for hundreds of years. This paint has looked this way and its going to take a certain amount of time to get used to how it looks now and to really rethink what this means within from years over 90 latest countryman, in theory, i could always return it to that condition which type of a, but its now been liberated with a scalpel that was used to scrape off the lands on and an english before i turn on to ultimately, another pleasant effect is that the colors now radiate a completely different vibrancy cuff to fla. The sooner under the beautiful thing about the vermeer painting as it was until now, a list is that it allows us to develop our own ideas on it as will actually quit to months are you could talk about a mere appealing to mature fewest hotter than appeal to our sense of mystery. Perhaps this explains the enduring fascination exerted by the works of yon vermeer. An artist who used enigma to stimulate viewers imagination by leaving so many interpretations open. Vermeer can be seen as offering up a fundamentally democratic perspective in his art. And it was a king and dresden, who was one of the burst in europe to open up this world to his subjects. His Public Gallery gave every one the opportunity to contemplate art as august its, it is little augustus. The 3rd is famous for being a real lover of painting. That gives, this is illustrated in an anecdote about the sistine chapel, madonna, by rafael king. Charlotte on of this painting has been acquired in italy after very complex negotiations that took about a year. And then it finally arrives in placed and it was carried into the throne room with a king himself single handedly pushes his throne to one side and says, make way for the great raphael. The king made way for art o young, fond de mer, or yon of the sea, as he was sometimes called a painter who left vacant spaces in his art to spur our imaginations. A tantalizing promise of freedom. Premiers masterpieces ended up in museums which have always served both as cultural arbiters and oases of freethinking every day. Thousands of people view his paintings works originally intended only for private consumption by prosperous citizens of 17th century delft adorning the dark walls of dutch townhouses. But what is it that we see in his art, and what role do museums play to day . Are these traditional sanctuaries of independent thinking, becoming increasingly compromised . The moods of to gig, if we look at the present and the current culture was affected, we see ethics becoming increasingly important. Foot on and artistic liberty, no longer enjoying the same automatic respect that it yeasty. It involves people. Zia, im brooklyn park, thats why the bite of one notable example is the Saatchi Gallery in london. Modest. It had a series of high profile scandals where the point was always to stir up the audience in order to generate headlines and visit numbers. Who can only yell when he gets hungry pallets, and suddenly we had the case of 2 paintings going on display. And that was so outrageous and problematic for some people that the gallery ended up deciding to cover them up. These you could even call it the vermeer effect as due to the sudden boom and interest in fem. Yeah. Effect man. Just said sisters and tessa and isnt ruin the motto, stikes and does the cell to the electors. Thats the dialect, co logic and all of these current conflicts. Did the artists who supposed to be banished and taken down. Now enjoy an amazing amount of attention, making them a lot more popular polio nazi for. So what this repressing or even removing of things leads to is if anything, people really starting to talk about these poems or paintings turkish clock, what are we seeing a contemporary revival of the a conic lasts. Museums are increasingly becoming cultural battle grounds as debates rage over what should be shown. Many museums have their roots and a monarch exist him to day, their narrative authority is compromised. Each, alameda, and he and i believe the future lies in an involving public fear. 514, its one and exec child growing social diversity, Digital Natives and the alternative perspectives. They bring a condensed and of twin as hit on game and, and we have to provide this public with a meaningful framework i 15 at. But here the old masters comply a special rollin and lang i. Tom ok, so advice, invisalign, anchor dad, theyve been an anchor, the generations. They provide continuity passing on both love and knowledge of this. And i took it in after spending 300 years in our collective consciousness. Girl reading a letter has been consigned to history, making way for new interpretations. Meter fi, legal, the unveiling as the keep. It makes the genre of the less clear beliefs. I enjoy tish albert, but questions remain so east as even mc in the anna. Is this a faithful love, briefly . A vino love form by the form of love remains ambivalent and enigmatically loved. In the obvious symbolism connected to the playing card is covered up by the painted curtain. He is able to wait in bill for home for who on stan, this is the route to the ambiguity and the mystery had then remains the thumb. Oh blight. Ah. The eternal mystery of a love story revealed now by the uncovering of a cupid. Should some things remain secret . What does art history stand to gain . A new vermeer . The original art work. A new debate. Ah. The mystery of vermeer will continue to beguile us. That much is certain, ah, blue is the end of the pandemic in sight. We show what it could look like. A return to normal. And we visit those who are finding it difficult, exceeds his successes and those in a weekly coven, 19 special. In 30 minutes on d. W. A green cities relaxing away city. Despite record temperatures. Its not a mirage. Refreshing architectural ideas and innovative Landscape Planning are both cool and clever chilling cities power. In 90 minutes on d. W. August 2021. Im gonna say the taliban take power and humanitarian catastrophe begins. Women not violently oppressed, abject poverty becomes everyday reality. How do people left countless done live today insights report, background stories on all platforms, brittany, by d, w ah ah. Is d w. News live from berlin . Another attack on europes Biggest Nuclear power plant. Moscow and cave accuse each other of shelling the zacharys a Nuclear Facility as the un wants of a potential disaster. Also coming out a tense wait for the result of kenyas president ial vote