Tuesday, July 21, 2009

The underlying symbolism of The Concert


The Concert by Johannes Vermeer c. 1663-1666

Two women and a man are seated at a piano. The woman on the left is playing the piano while the woman on the right sings from the sheet music she is holding in her left hand. The gentleman is seated because of his ailments which are relevant from the cane on his left side. The women are there to entertain him. Both women are wearing pearl earrings and necklaces along with yellow ribbons in their hair. There are two paintings on the wall behind the piano. The painting on the right depicts two women and a man. The pattern on the floor displays black crosses. You could assume that one or both of the women also play string instruments because there are two in the painting, one placed on top of the table and one on the floor.


Seduction is a recurring theme in this painting. The red panel on the back of the chair catches the viewer’s eye to show that the man is the most important person in the painting but also the color red is a sign of danger. The man is the most important but his back is facing the audience and no one knows his true identity. This would be because he was an important figure and did not want to be painted where someone could view his face in the presence of two young ladies. The photograph on the wall on the right is also a representation of the painting itself. It shows two women and a man in what seems to be a compromising position. This is a way of showing the true meaning of this painting without the suggestive positions. The crosses on the floor are representative of Christianity or the cross. It would appear that the instruments are laid on the floor and the table because they are of little relevance for a woman to play. This would be because the piano is a more seductive instrument and the man can watch the woman’s hands move seductively. Singing is also considered sensual because she is using her voice to entertain the gentleman. Saussure would say that the man’s cane is a signifier. The cane is a signifier and the signified is that he has an ailment because when we view the cane we automatically think of someone who is old or handicapped. The youth of the women is also present in this picture by the yellow ribbons in their hair. Married women did not wear ribbons such as these in their hair and therefore both of these women are unmarried. They are unmarried but they are both wearing pearl necklaces and earrings. This could mean two different things. They could come from wealth and be given these as gifts from their father or they could be given them by a lover.

Saussure, Ferdinand de. "Course in General Linguistics." Literary Theory: An Anthology. Ed. Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan. Malden, MA, Blackwell Publishing, 2004. 59-71.




No comments:

Post a Comment