Vermeer-Inspired Art > The artist Joe Fig (b.1968) is renowned for his ongoing “Contemplation” series — small, intimate paintings of people looking at artworks in museums and galleries. For nearly a decade, he has depicted exhibitions nationally and internationally, registering not only artists’ techniques and processes but also visitors’ interactions with art. In these scenes he contemplates our collective experience in public spaces and distills what he himself has observed.
On view at the Sarasota Art Museum are 16 new paintings that document Fig’s encounter with the blockbuster Johannes Vermeer exhibition mounted at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum last year. That sold-out show featured 28 of the Dutch master’s 37 known paintings and will never be repeated in our lifetimes because his works are increasingly fragile and expensive to transport.
“I enjoy capturing the historical nature of exhibitions,” Fig explains. “They are up for a limited time and very fleeting. My paintings allow me to share them with people who may not have the chance to see them otherwise. I traveled to Amsterdam specifically for this project… and this installment of my ‘Contemplation’ series cements that moment in time.”
Back in his Sarasota studio, Fig studied the photographs he had taken in Amsterdam, selected details, and painstakingly configured the placement and scale of the spectators to perfect the balance of light, shadow, and color before he started to paint on canvas.
This show makes sense at the Sarasota Art Museum, which is part of the Ringling College of Art and Design, where Fig serves as department chair of both the fine arts and visual studies programs.
At a Glance:
Joe Fig: Contemplating Vermeer
Sarasota Art Museum
Sarasota, Florida
sarasotaartmuseum.org
Through April 13, 2025
View more art museum announcements here at FineArtConnoisseur.com.
