Scripta 9_2_link_final.pdf - Uniandrade

Tracy Chevalier builds her narrative on ekphrastic descriptions of
Vermeer’s artwork. The painter always uses the same elements of
composition in his work: clothing, ornaments, furniture and props on the
table; the corner of his studio and its decoration; industrious silent women
in quotidian activities as theme; the way the light is reflected and attracts the
eye of the observer as style. Through words, the author is able to reproduce
these same elements in the ekphrastic descriptions in the novel.
The analyses of the ekphrastic moments confirm my assumption
that Griet does not play the role of a victim, or a radical protofeminist as
some critics, such as Debora Cibelli and Aruna D’ Souza, have suggested.
Without the ekphrastic descriptions, the master’s artwork would probably
not be so relevant. Through her intermedial references and discussions with
her master, she is the one who verbalizes Vermeer’s silent artwork enabling
the readers visualize his paintings with her words.
The ekphrastic relations in Yacobi’s chart of visual source and verbal
target can be identified in the novel. All of the individual descriptions of
paintings fit the one-to-one relationship. The one-to-many relationship is
seen in descriptions of the same painting by different characters, such as
Girl with a Wine Glass, described and commented on by van Ruijven, Tanneke
and Pieter, among others. Its reverse, the many-to-one relationship, is the
homage paid to Vermeer not only by Chevalier’s work, but also by the
director of its movie adaptation, Peter Webber. Finally the many-to-many
relationship can be found in the boom of transpositions inspired by
Vermeer, which took place in the nineties.
When Chevalier creates the fictional character Griet to verbalize
Vermeer’s work, she chooses to make her outspoken. Griet is able to express
her feelings and is not afraid of the possible repercussions of her actions
and remarks, such as when she slaps the mischievous Cornelia
(CHEVALIER, 1999, p. 22), or when she bluntly refuses the piece of meat
given her by the butcher (CHEVALIER, 1999, p. 40). Furthermore, she
always talks back to her mistress, Maria Thins, who does not put the maid
back in her place partly because she enjoys dealing “with a bit of cleverness”
(CHEVALIER, 1999, p. 45). As time goes by, Griet starts filtering the kind
of information she gives her family during her Sunday visits. In order to be
close to the master, Griet learns to manipulate not only what she says, but
especially to whom, when and how she uses words. She refers to Vermeer
only as “he,” which suggests to the reader how close they are. She starts to
use the same demanding tone as Catharina, e.g., during her visit to her
Scripta Uniandrade, v. 9, n. 2, jul.-dez. 2011
24