it's annette is is the extraordinary droughts is because there's been too little rain full. in addition to much moisture is evaporating due to hot and dry air currents almost fish issued. the drought also means wildfires can spread more quickly. blazes burning in several regions, like here you haven't, that's all for me for now. next op a dw documentary behind the curtain takes a closer look at the paintings of the dutch must have been dia. i'm been for sewland, rankoff. we'll have your news next hour. and i'll see you soon here on the dobby. bye bye. nico is in germany to learn german lodge. benita. why not learn with him online,

on your mobile and free to seth c. w e learning course. nikos vague. ah, shush. ah, a deceptively simple image. yon premier's 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 he's 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 cml, the 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 world's 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 of an a. truly, you have this iconic painting that is imprinted itself in our collective consciousness. now, it's no longer there. it's been replaced by another painting extradition because as far as wins offenses for removing the paint, his tens amounts are raising history of our modern victor. and to 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 unrecognized? are you curious about mystery and reality vow 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. it's the view of the town of belt by young von the mere these are the words of the man who rediscovered vermeer in 18. 65. in the nearly 2 centuries after the painter's death, his work had fallen into obscurity. we don't know a lot about from erie is known as the sphinx of dells because we know so little about his life. 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 don't 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 vold is croft 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. premier's 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 up fleeting moments with a power that enthralls no adherents of strict realism. he frequently changed the scale in 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 premier's very particular palette of colors which hailed in part from more exotic lines. 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 marvels of the time. john vermeer is friendship with a lens grinder from dealt, introduced him to optical innovations like the camera obscura. in premier's

imagination, the camera obscura was like the i, it's lens, the pupil. it's screen the retina, a pete box that cast images on to the wall. this was also the dawn of a new age in art, one that filled 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 in 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. ah, the painted curtain would eventually become a motif in its own right. deployed once again by various dutch painters in the mid

17th century. i saw him bounce via the eldest rembrandt was the 1st to paint the frame, complete with kersin. right into the picture in the spilled he, 9 of underneath is east alpha there vandal from island. so the exterior curtain now becomes a motif highly am build motif and illusionary trick called tom ploy. literally meaning deception of the i i know and that is i, you could also see it as ass, the view is being deceived, terry. rather violet, because we see the image of a curtain which invites us to try and see behind it. van un sites basin seen swan keith. but that desire to see more about what's hidden behind the curtain is

not just about some of the world view or a view from a window veil of adam fain spouse, bleak fulton. so none meet metaphorically. it's about wanting to see more less through the medium of art in bearden and fonder. my leg i pay it can be interpreted as the genesis of an appreciation. be powerful. i'm ok, constantly papa. i 15. 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 it's very apt for the 17th century, more a time. what concepts of time and space were being revolutionized that's monitoring, i'm up to that point. it is the world was considered to be in gods, hands and pre determined mia. it's for it's in the 17th century and people began to see themselves as self determining style. can call me yon ramirez, paintings are and remains superbly devised invitations to explore new worlds

for me just as taller and isn't that what i love about this painting is that it's such a small room, but the longer you look at it, the more expensive the room becomes it opens up, it is a hallmark after it says this early work from $1657.00 already incorporates premier's core elements. the use of light, the transient moment, the suggestion of a narrative, ah, pushed an ox, yo fancy and imagination, monitor suddenly you're in a different world. and just as the woman re debbie is in another world on one of various worlds brought to life by johan, his premier. busy interiors where the 4th wall is cast aside as

premier gives us moments of intimacy where the ages, ah and yet for a time for mirrors work was forgotten until a rediscovery 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.

the clinic is stuff i to some the king had a series of paintings ready for the collection. won't initially, they were housed in what were still in the 17th century by the royal stables. in zips in yelled at us. i'm saying this is whether the mer to gallery it was established. would you convey to get it done? english? did that, and with the royal gallery essentially became a proton museum, a temple of art open to all a presentation of his majesty's good taste or bonn, goof, the monarch as arbiter deciding which works well worthy of display. august, august 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 dealer's 1st began to emerge all documents paint a vivid picture of how augustus was able to build up his unique collection.

carrying on pets ish, the messrs. from saxony dispatched an alert, 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 in paris were after something else. the prized collection of victor amadeus, the 1st of savoy, the prince of county. all eyes is obscene of and when the prince of karen yano died in france in 1741. the chief concern for augustus was his collection of italian paintings. which is why he sent his agent to paris again enough 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. when julia cuba feasted, we can see him. which paintings from the famous prince of karen yano collection went from paris to saxony. on the handle i hoped, and the most prominent among them was a gift feat. isis in my 80. denise powder. sure to mushy. as meaning grounded on top of the trade. so a present to shakes. ah

don't you know? go did debris. luke, who will take signals, host of law as wandered in among the many paintings received i. your excellency. e one is i, rembrandt get this ions from the him. punt looks his aunt, all engine fi, t v said he jennifer. nick does as depicting a young girl reading across from a window on his fence. thus he's ah, ah, this my little milton is being mistaken. for rembrandt, it is due solely to the painted curtain. the curtain was a key element 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 as to be a masterpiece. i my foolish trick, bixler here. this isn't good. thank and it was a gift to a friend, one verb, 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 twist in as a rembrandt called us and give it a full time 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 chief 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 king's 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 king's chambers. the painting was now part of an exclusive and illustrious group, one that included the very best of dutch painting. a privileged position 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 king's cabinet room. this cabinets, it being an integral part of the policy 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 duction flemish works depicting generic seals in dafter. it's a constructed intimacy, intimidated. busy ah, on the ticket is a spirit mom entering this picture is not straightforward for you 1st have to go past the curtain, then across the rug pick. 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 she's doing? what might she be reading? her concentrated face 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 $1765.00, the painting had left the king's private rooms and could now be seen in dresden skim, melted gallery. busy busy g 3 snug unaided, got any, is thee camille de gallery in easton is on par with the louvre in terms of the quality of the paintings at the stump. this was also true in the 18th century life

from louvre. but brown says, your own collection in the louvre was completely inaccessible to the public. at this time, a thinking mitten, a hit when placed in his command. a gallery opened in 1746. can any one british, any artist, student with all bay cattle? and we know this from the visitor reco dixon in could go inside indian connecticut at a time. ah, a feast of gold and color accessible to wall, regardless of their social class or origins. ah, ah, tazza had a split least 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. knock, listen, ah, augustus. the third's 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 it's in its infancy. in 1775, the camille de gallery su daneen, catalogue commander, go to the gmail the gallery had a convenient place. small folks can easily accessible for visitors, thought that that was characteristic, assemble on and suddenly each and the ven, me a pups off, and stood still listed as rembrandt, girl reading at a window,

ready to commit a godaddy of fixation. and what of course, it's of him here from van. 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 ah, rediscovering vermeer for the art world. this was etienne yoseph tail feel tall gaze quest. he would spend almost 10 years of his life tracking down the sphinx 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 men's 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 premier's paintings. but credit for truly resurrecting the painter's legacy goes to toby ah, guided by comments written by a berlin museum director tal. his 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. he'd seen it and all the other premier paintings and brussels, berlin, and vienna. they had been painted by the hand of vermeer. ah,

for me, ellis, if he listens on, blew them off from ear leaves a great deal in his paintings, open an unresolved prop. he works with nuances responded. and in general, with subtle modification, just with what we call the atmospheric in these and in doing so, he entices us into this atmosphere ish. it seeped him build 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 market to find out more astonished. question on you start bringing this picture to life in your mind and my cough to the spirit to believe them on when it comes to the relationship between a work of often it's observer conky what could be better? what's his dea, a monkey? not soon, lou. abby vandeveer has spent years examining what is indisputably one of the most famous paintings in the history of art. premier's girl with the

pearl airing, a painting that's 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. today, scientific experts deploy state of the art analysis. really, we wanted to see with these new technologies and with an group of international researchers with lots of different equipment and lots of different expertise, bringing them all together 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 hadn't 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 modus house on especially built easel inside a glass enclosure. and within that enclosure, over a 2 week period, scientists and their equipment. we're used to examine the painting to day scientific analyses routinely use

a wide range of imaging devices such as x rays and infrared reflex ta graphy. 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 doesn't 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 premier's 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 ninety's 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 vermeer himself. but had it on to the

expectant d. among the experts who advised augustus the third's ancient sin, paris was a flemish man. ha, i was bent the pain tennis. i'm to restore a hack wounded. this shall, joan battista slots. slots is. and he was famous for his talent for storing in we painting. i'm 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 and not facing combs and upset. now doesn't of all we can't santa call us whether that girl reading a letter was one of these is, is, but it's a legitimate assumption. anthony, in perhaps m by 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 vow, homeless 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. it's a very early the man tish between beulah unquote than physician to day of i can't of so and if you look at his later paintings your, he largely leaves out allegorical additions like this were from, from me. i'm course who can as i was faxed, as perhaps some connoisseur of him is work said to deny he never would have painted it like that in his later period. that's corrected as he would have an a raised his fresco in the back on diabetes or do this over to 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 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 off if we realized that this over painting was not by vermeer hemmed up, but must have been done several decades later by someone else. and samuel's as good as us. and the painting was bought and brought to tristan as a rembrandt. but this strange and rowdy cubit in the background would have been out of place. and a rembrandt just passed 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 explained. this is by the gear. see it i english by that us de leon. dog of he now's,

that's their 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 i've my talk initially, it was a shock and other but this opens up whole new avenues of interpretation in lucas guidance and i told em, unquestionably exposing the cupid figure gives the picture of our clear message. either kid come on of a fog, but almost us. ok. conversely you can also ask why the so called original is so important. why go back in times and zip to sure you can say because this was al vermeer painted it off was italy for me is 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 's absent ya not say about who's in 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, it's 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 $121.00. how does a showed which i was in mind? all of the french i and chromes was on gavia. i 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 this game, or we can still live with how it's been for centuries, him leap because that's also a part of its history history. and now this over painting is in turn being a raised dizzy grandma. so removing the paint is tantamount to

a rising history fast. so it was fiona could shift softer. oh bermonte, romano, nicknamed. in my experience, people are really excited when there is a new discovery about 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 very long time for hundreds of years. this paint has looked this way and it's 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 i, until later countryman, in theory, i could always return it to that condition. which doesn't other, but it's now being liberated with a scalpel that was used to scrape off the lads and, and an english before i turn on the altima tree. 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 well. actually crypt

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 1st in europe to open up this world to his subjects. his public gallery gave every one the opportunity to contemplate art as august, it's late. it's little gus, gus. the 3rd is famous for being a real lover of painting the gibbs. this is illustrated in an anecdote about the

sistine chapel, madonna, by rafael english. a little of this painting had been acquired in italy after very complex negotiations that took about a year time. and then it finally arrives in placed in one. 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 yon fonder man 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. premier's 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. vote on and artistic liberty no longer enjoying the same automatic respect that it yeasty. it involves people. zia, i'm brooklyn park, that's why the bite of one notable example is the saatchi gallery in london. was 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 o'neill? well yet happy pilots. and suddenly we had the case of 2 paintings going on display that was so outrageous and problematic for some people that the gallery ended up deciding to cover them up. you could even call it the vermeer effect as due to the sudden boom in interest in fem me out effect. then just said sisters and tessa and isn't ruin the motto, stikes and does the cell director should. that's 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, fully alive before. so what this repressing or even removing of things leads to is, if anything, people really starting to talk about these poems or paintings, starters, quote unquote. are we seeing a contemporary revival of the a carnac 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, his compromise each alameda, and he and i believe the future lies in an involving public fear. 514, it's one in the gazette, a growing social diversity, digital natives and the alternative perspectives. they bring condensed to end of tune as iran game and, and we have to provide this public with a meaningful framework. i seen that, but here the old masters can play a special role in line lance, i, tom ok, so advice, invisalign, anchor debt have been an anchor, the generations and look, they provide continuity passing on both love and knowledge of this. and i took him after spending 300 years in our collective consciousness, girl reading a letter has been consigned to history. making way for new interpretations

meet their high legal the unveiling as the cheaper it makes the genre of the less a clear belief. i'm dieties. i bet, but questions remain for east as even im, seeing a i met a is this a faithful love? briefly, a vino love form in the form of love remains ambivalent and enigmatic. late love in the obvious symbolism connected to the playing card is covered up by the painted curtain east. able to assist in bill for her for her on stand. this is the root of the ambiguity and the mystery lead 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. the mystery of vermeer will continue to beguile us that much is certain ah the green cities. relaxing away sydney, despite record temperatures. it's not a mirage. refreshing architectural ideas and innovative landscape planning are both

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this is g w. news live it from berlin tonight, another attack on europe, some biggest nuclear power plant. moscow and key bar denying that they have bombarded these upper reaches nuclear power plant. tonight, we'll ask a nuclear scientist. could this be a another turn noble is.