Tim’s Vermeer sees an inventor give a shot to recreate a famous 17th century painting.
So why is it a great geek documentary?
In a San Antonio warehouse, Tim Jenison slaves over his canvas.
Its about invention and the nature of genius.
Its about testing preconceived ideas and celebrating human ingenuity.
But the documentarys really about Jenison, an inventor fascinated by a tantalising mystery.
Urgently told,Tims Vermeeris illuminated by Jenisons intelligence and sheer range of skills.
Its through Jenison that the documentary says something fascinating about the nature of genius.
But asTims Vermeerentertainingly points out, art and technology are inextricably bound together.
They formulated their own paints using a variety of oils and pigments some of them potentially dangerous.
They learned the principles of geometry, perspective and composition.
Another painting,Woman In Blue Reading A Letter,is like a miniature drama.
A woman, clearly both wealthy and very pregnant, stands alone with a letter clasped in her hands.
The expression on her face is difficult to read; theres an air of mystery, and also voyeurism.
Like most of Vermeers work, theres the sense that weve walked into the room unseen.
If Vermeer were alive today, its possible that hed be a film director.
But even with this supposed assistance, the work still took him weeks of exhausting labour to complete.
This is whyTims Vermeeris, for me, the ultimate geek documentary.
Tims Vermeeris available to watch on Amazon Prime now.
