traditional picnics beneath the blossoming cherry trees of next dock film tries to uncover the secret behind a hidden image that come to light the naked cupid in a 350 year old painting. 5 dutch master. this is more news on dw. com as well as our social media. the handle is at the dublin years. i've told me on logical, thanks for being with us. are flying rivers formed by? hey waterfalls. perspiring trees or c evaporation during forest fires. i don't get the answer in the

hallway by invisible river that flows through the sky starts march 23rd on d. w. ah sheesh. 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 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. melissa basically means me writing the near 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 premiere 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 in 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 it's been replaced by another painting after the death because as far as wins offenses for removing the pain tis tens amounts are arising history of our model victim. to pull that one, if we have the names here of individuals who may have pain to david of a mayor,

tom. ah, are you one of those who are attracted by the unknown and unrecognized? 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 pub, 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 here he 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 yo harness. vermeer is the most famous son of delta, 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 john vermeer, his 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 volta scoffed 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 delta 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 adherent 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 premier's very particular pallet 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 marbles of the time, yon premier's friendship with a lens grinder from del, 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 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 in churches across dealt 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 8 is a rembrandt was the 1st to paint the frame, complete with kersin. right into the pitcher in the spilled he, 9 of online life is he's also there. vanderfull. i look. so the exterior curtain now becomes a motif i am been motif, an illusionary trick called pomp loy. literally meaning deception of the i. i know, and that is i you could also see it is ass, the view is being deceived, terry, rather vitally because we see the image of a curtain which invites us to try and see behind it than you inside basin, seen swan. he 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. vales or i'm fain,

spouse, flakes, of wanton. so none meet metaphorically. it's about wanting to see more through the medium of art in bearden and fonder, my leg i pay it can be interpreted as the genesis of ours appreciation big hospital and they constantly power. 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 past issuance from 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 foy, it's in the 17th century. people began to see themselves of self determining style can call me yon ramirez, paintings are and remain superbly devised invitations to explore new worlds.

for me, just as taller and isn't food. 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, so it's opens up to the home after it says. this early work from 1657 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 manners. suddenly you're in a different world. and just as the woman re debbie is in another world, ah, one of various worlds brought to life by johan asked premier interiors where the 4th wall is cast aside. as vermeer gives us,

moments of intimacy were the ages lou lou and yet for a time, vermeer 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.

the clinic is to buy to some the king had a series of paintings ready for the collection wound. initially, they were housed in what were still in the 17th century by the royal stables about us in zips in yelled at us. i'm saying this is whether the man to a gallery was established. would he convey to get a written english to denver? 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. all was that all gun since the 3rd was a real connoisseur. and 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. old documents paint a vivid picture of how augustus was able to build up his unique collection.

carrying your on pets ish, the messrs from saxony dispatched an alert to taste and about the impending sale of an important connection with a cough. 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 burst of savoy, the prince of county, all eyes is absent. 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 agents to paris again enough bodies. the market was a highly competitive one. with the kings of france and portugal, among the bitters. augustus employed a range of art savvy experts and the flemish conservatory. in total,

he managed to acquire 30 paintings from the colony, all collections spending a fortune in the process. when julia tube, he shed it, 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 beat isis in my id to an e powder, sure to mushy. as meaning grounded on top of the trade. so a present to shakes. ah,

don't you know go did dub roku a quick signals host of ha as wonder in a among the many paintings received i your excellency. e one is i rembrandt get this ions from the him pont looks his aunt all engine c t. v said he, jennifer nick. thus as depicting a young girl reading across from a window on his fence thus he's 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, rembrandt was declaring this painting of his ease. to be

a masterpiece. i my fish took the class here. this isn't good. thank. and then it was a gift to a friend, would that so it had to be valuable while anderson and hugh 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 twistin as a rembrandt called us and give it a full and 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 and 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, 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 king's cabinet room, discover nets is being an integral part of the palace's ceremonial apartments. access to the cabinet was obviously restricted to getting a room where the king could retreat, crooning 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 in the after it's a constructed intimacy. intimidated. busy 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 huntsville. 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, the painting had left the king's private rooms and could now be seen in dresden cml, the gallery. busy busy g 3 snug unaided. got any, is thee camille, the gal that he and i easton is on par with the leuva in terms of the quality of the paintings that the stump. this was also true in the 18th century life from

rural. but brown says, your own connection in the louvre was completely inaccessible to the public at this time a singing mitten a hit when placed in his camille, together he opened in 1740 sacks. can any one whitish, any artist, student with all bank capital? and we know this from the visit to reco dixon. it could go inside india, connecticut, at a higher, ah, a feast of gold and color accessible to wall, regardless of their social class or origins. ah, ah tot. so had a split least and suddenly have this. well renowned collection victory that so all the artists who used to make the journey to madina and rome,

now had to go to the isda 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 than the form of a public collection. for every one to see as it's in its infancy, in 1775, the camille gallery is huge than you catalogue may to go to the thick of mail. the gallery had a convenient place. small folks can easily accessible for visitors. soft that, that was characteristic, assemble on and suddenly chin the va, me, a pups off, and stood still listed as rembrandt, girl, reading at a window, ready to commit a godaddy of fixation it. but of course it severe from van. now, on to that much,

the official entry of this painting into the mail to 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 always 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 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. ah,

other people had helped to identify premier's paintings. but credit for truly resurrecting the painter's legacy goes to top bay 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. he'd 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, i list if he listens on boot on, often 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 in these. and in doing so, he entices us into this atmosphere ish. it seeped embedded on and i, i enjoy it in a way. he introduces ambiguity and coaxes our imagination so that we think that something unresolved, that content we want to take a better look at to find out more astonished patient on you. start bringing this picture to life in your mind in mind, cough to the spirit, to believe them on when it comes to the relationship between a work of often it's observer kong. what could be better? what's his dea emoji? nazi helen. oh, abbey 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

of painting that's been celebrated on the big screen, interpreted and re interpreted 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 an 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 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 artist's 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 premier himself. but had it under then

expectant d. among the experts who advised augustus the third's ancient sin, paris was a flemish man. i was bent the pain tanner, i'm to restore a hack wounded. this shall young batista slots slots is. and he was famous for his talent for storing in re painting. i'm touching up works shihean including venza flemish and dutch painter. estimate this in the south. we know that he also restored a number of paintings from the carrying yano collection insure prior to that arrival in placed an enough place to close it. upset now doesn't of all we can't sand course, whether that girl reading a letter was one of these is, is, but it's a legitimate assumption. antonini. perhaps m are artists, or restorers who came along later, wanted to 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 blood. speculative. welcome to lisa romaneli. mm hm. in why it was over painted remains a point of speculation and will never be precisely explained. i know quick tour for me. it seems like a subsequent correction. for me. it's a very early, the man tish between buddha uncorked than consisted a 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 goes who can as i was faxed eggs, perhaps some connoisseur of them is work said to deny he never would have painted it like that in his later period. let's 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 don't 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 samuel's 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, 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, explain why they give 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 awe. but this opens up whole new avenues of interpretation in lucas kaiden front i to unquestionably exposing the cupid figure gives the picture of our clearer message. ah, either kid come on over fog, but almost us all. conversely, you can also ask why the so called original is so important. why go back in times if for sure you can say, because this was al vermeer painted it off, was 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 's absent ya not 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 artist's 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 did enter 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. one head does a showed which i was in mind. ok, after french i and crunch 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 visit grandma. so removing the paint is tantamount to a rising history fast. so it was fiona could shift softer, all bermonte,

the rebel model, victor 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 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 lance and then 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. so i could quit 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 for mere 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, it is little augustus. the 3rd is famous for being a real lover of painting. like if this is any straight it in an anecdote about the sistine chapels mcdonough by raphael, finish. a little of this painting had been

a quiet 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 o yon 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. 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. foot on and artistic liberty, no longer enjoying the same automatic respect that it used a it involves people, zia, i'm brooklyn park. that's why the bite of one notable example is the saatchi gallery and none them or does it have 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

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 me out. fix them. just said sisters and tessa and isn't ruin the motto, stikes and does the cell to director. so 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 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, quote, are we seeing a contemporary revival of the economy? blasts? museums are increasingly becoming cultural battlegrounds 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, it's one and exec are 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, infeasible, an anchor debt have been an anchor, if the generations 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 they keep it makes the genre of the less clear the heath. i enjoy a break, but questions remain so east as even im, xena. is this a faithful love? briefly? aveena love form in 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 east. able to waste in bill for home, for who on stand. this is the root of the ambiguity and the mystery had then remains them. 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, ah, all cattle at this live stock market are being exchanged for young women. half of all girls in south sudan are forcibly married many or abused and raped. the pope's visit has raised high hopes,

but can his words really help the country's female population, global 3000. in 30 minutes on d. w. eco, africa. when prayer is for rain, he early reading for that he's are answered with science. i canyon n g o teachers rainwater harvesting, as we're going to or for some one fail brings on the advice or whatever and selfish from michelle's helping farmers, and just to failed patterns to save their crops. eco africa you know 90 minutes on d w. ah . this is to float, did you do the phone? i'd have to channel. fantastic. ah,

she survived outfits. thanks to music. and he was, the nazis favorite conductor is morally degenerate to musicians under the swastika, a documentary about the sounds of power, inspiring story about survival of the home. i don't get the tennis, i was the only one. what lies it look, music in nazi germany. watch now on youtube, d. w documentary. ah, ah, this is deed of the news and these are our top stories. a russian warplane has collided with a us drawn over the black sea. washington says the incident was caused by what it's calling a reckless act by 2 russian fighter jets u. s. official say one of the.