Griet

5/29/2010

 

  GRIET

  By:Sir Teymur Roshdi

 

  Copyright-2010-Sir Teymur Roshdi

 

  Griet , after finding the pearl earings wrapped in those pieces of tissue

  and then while pressing the whole packet in her hand,begun thinking and

  asking herself 'who was the sender' and who was the 'author' of such an

  act.

 

  Months were passed since the day she has been banished by the

  mistress from the household of master Vermeer.The idea that the mistress

  regretting her anger, jealousy and humiliating behaviour, has sent the

  pearl earings as a gift to her, and this out of kindness and charity seemed

  absolutely improbable to her.She knew her well enough to know that she

  was unable to react by such a gesture.

  Two possibilities begun puzzling Griet's mind : was Johannes Vermeer

  himself the sender of the gift or the mother-in-law. She begun exploring in

  her memories since the first day and since the first contact she had with

  both. Also she considered virtually the two characters, their psychology

  and their consecutive role in the train of the family life.

  She sat on a chair outdoor, surrounded by the poultry and pets she

  stared the clouds once again. Although the feeling of being desired or

  loved by master Vermeer was sweet but nothing could prove it because

  apart some furtive exchange of glances and smiles, he never expressed

  something which could have a loving meaning, also apart the act of

  piercing her earlobe, he never touched her. She knew that she had an

  effect on him and maybe he was fascinated with her when she was

  playing the role of his painting assistant or when she was posing for

  him as a model, but she was intelligent enough to realize that thinking

  about 'Love' coming from him was inappropriate .

  Does a poor girl like her, an humble servant in that house could expect

  to have the least chance to occupy a tiny place in the heart of the great

  master Vermeer, a genius and well-known painter of his time?Her whole

  person ,body and soul and the 'secret familiarity' between them was just

  used instinctively by the genius as a 'pretext' of inspiration to create

  paintings.

  So Griet could not cheat herself that master Vermeer 'was secretly in

  love with her' and the gift was sent by him as a sign of 'Love'. No,no,no,

  this supposition was too stupid, not because that was impossible or

  inimaginable, but just because it had no meaning and was inadequate.

  The incarnation of Johannes Vermeer love was impregnating his wife

  and creating paintings to earn money for his family.

  Griet thought that if by any chance, one of thousands probabilities, he

  truely loved her, he would leave his family and everything for her sake,

  but this was not the case. So she put aside the possibility that master

  Vermeer by his own initiative sent the earings to her as a sign of

  gratitude or some romantic tenderness.

  The time she worked and lived in Vermeer house, she could in her silent

  observation studying the personality of the family members and based on

  what she gathered in her mind and what impressed her,she would hardly describe Johannes Vermeer a man of initiative or of character. He was

  too dependant of his wife and his mother-in-law.When Griet was shoked

  by the pathetic 'scene' the mistress produced in front of her husband and

  mother, and banished her from the house by her insulting behaviour ,

  Vermeer didn't object and expressed nothing to 'protect' her.

  Then she thought about the mother-in-law and the complicity she noticed between her and Vermeer.In fact the real manager and the real mistress

  of that household was the mother-in-law. This old pragmatic woman was

  also a genius in her kind. She was a connoisseur of everything of value,

  things or persons.She had the potential of estimating and appreciating

  everything at their real and true value. Since the begining she noticed that

  Griet was not anybody or a vulgar maid only good for domestic tasks. She

  understood all her potentials and appreciated them not only because she

  was useful for Vermeer career, but because of what she was.The mother-

  in-law had a better understanding of Griet's personality than Vermeer even

  lost in his fascination with her for a while.

  Could the complicity of the mother-in-law and Vermeer resulting in the

  decision of sending a gift to Griet to console her from the humiliation

  inflicted to her by the mistress?In that case, why sending the pearl earings

  of her daughter as a gift?What would be her answer about the missing

  earings?Did the mistress despise the pearl earings since the moment

  she learned that they have been worn by a maid 'less than nothing'?This

  was the best explanation Griet found in her mind for this 'gift' sending.

  The mistress was so disgusted by the theft of her pearl earings by her

  mother and her complicity with her husband in the painting of Griet's

  portrait that she considered those pearl earings as something impure not

  worthy of looking at or touching them.The pearl earings 'spoiled' in her

  eyes have been retrieved by her mother.The mother asked her son-in-low

  how much the idea of sending them as a gift to Griet was appropriate.

  Vermeer getting rid from his fascination with Griet agreed and in a moment

  found the tissues used by Griet for covering her hair and gave them to his

  mother-in-law and the latter did the rest.

  Finally Griet concluded that the real author of this gift-sending was the

  mother-in-law.If she lost her place in Vermeer house along with her

  reputation, if she has been insulted and humiliated harshly by the mistress

  and if she didn't gain the 'love' of the 'genius painter', she gained the respect

  of the wise and intelligent old woman , the only one there able to understand ,

  estimate and appreciate her at her real and true value.She never wore

  those pearls, not because she had only her left earlobe pierced, but

  because her life since then changed in a way that she could and would

  never wore any jewel. She just kept the pearl earings all her life as a sign of

  her own worth and value.

  2

  Pieter did not want marrying a girl whose reputation has been

  compromised wrongly or rightly. So rejected by Pieter, Griet used to live

  with her parents. She decided to continue the job of her blind father, the

  ceramic painting . Now that she was familiar enough with the nature of the

  colours and the artistic composition, she asked her father to give her the

  necessary instruction and information about the technic of painting on

  ceramic. Also she suggested to her father to accept commissions by

  retying connections with his previous clients.

  Griet worked hard to produce beautiful painted ceramics in order to

  satisfy all sort of tastes and the money she earned was now quite enough

/>   to rescue them of poverty. The commissions were done under the name

  of Griet's father, Hans and the beautiful painted ceramics became well-

  known in Delft as the ceramics of 'Hans the painter'.

  Few year later, Griet's father died of meningitis but Griet still continued

  accepting commissions from everywhere and from unknown project

  managers and they always called for the ceramics of 'Hans the

  painter'. The painting of Griet on the ceramics became more and more

  skillful and professional through years in a way that it attracted the

  attention of some churches and specially a new founded church which

  sent after the artist to come personally working in the place.The new church

  was founded and managed by religious men settled in Delft recently , so

  they did not know Griet's family, neither the artist. They just noticed the

  perfect work of ceramic painting of 'Hans the painter'.

  Griet didn't want losing this opportunity and because she knew that the

  church would not accept a female artist, she decided to disguise herself

  as a young man and presenting herself as 'Hans the artist'.This plan did

  work and the church dean hired her for a full-time ceramic painting work.

  Her natural silent and peaceful attitude helped her to go almost

  innoticed while she was working for hours on ceramics or stained glasses.

  Also because she was not a talkative person, she never attracted any

  attention by her female voice. This state of things lasted for years till the

  time that her mother deceased.

  The church proposed her to come living in the church as a permanent

  resident. She accepted because she had no engagement elsewhere

  and because she didn't intend to found a family and having children, she

  devoted herself completely to art. She was known as 'Hans the painter'

  and she extended her artistic skill. Not only she learned how to paint on

  walls and roof but also she accepted commissions from the outside and

  inside the church to create paintings on canvas. Her painting style and

  technic was somehow unique because in all her works there was

  something elusive and imperceptible. Now she became famous and

  almost everywhere in Holland the connoisseurs have heard of the

  masterpieces created by the ingenious 'Hans the painter'.

  Living and working in the church, she kept secret her identity, but few

  years later she went to visit that side of the city where master Vermeer

  house was located. The house was empty and she learned that the

  master passed away leaving his family in debts and poverty.

  3

  Griet, in her old age realized that the only true heiress of Johannes

  Vermeer 'legacy' was herself. The impact of Vermeer on Griet's soul

  was the communication and the transmission of the 'genius' as a

  secret message and this was priceless. Only a sensible creature like

  Griet could be the recipient of such a rare 'pearl' called genius. Griet's

  paintings in their quality and uniqueness had nothing lesser than the

  masterpieces created by Johannes Vermeer, simply centuries later,

  the art experts and all the connoisseurs after visiting the church Griet

  used to live and after reviewing all the paintings done and created by

  'Hans the painter', discovered secretly and accidently that 'Hans the

  painter' had nothing for 'himself' apart a pair of pearl earings wrapped

  in some blue stuff, kept secretly in a hidden place of 'his' room in the

  church. No one could find the true identity of 'Hans the painter', but they

  all knew that Hans was a female artist and all the masterpieces created

  by her were called since then the masterpieces of the 'unknown female

  painter'.

  5/30/2010