I'm a fan of Radio Netherland's documentary work and I really looked forward to this piece after reading The Girl With The Pearl Earring. But here's the deal...you have to KNOW the paintings to appreciate this doc. There are three featured paintings and the producer moves through a discussion of the works with beautiful music and articulate historians. So I liked the The Girl segment because I could picture the painting in my mind. The other two segments discussing paintings I didn't know left me a bit...well...clueless. I don't know that most public radio listeners would have more of a reference point so it's difficult to recommend to stations unless programmers are certain that their listeners would know all three paintings. If this were TV, no problem. If this piece was audio for a web stream with the paintings posted on the site, great. But as a radio documentary for an American audience, I think it would be difficult to program.
This is a really fascinating effort: three authorities, no narrator, all talking about a singular painter about whom we know almost nothing. Engaging, smart, enthusiastic commentators. The best bits are the intense descriptions of various paintings -- for example, the description of the pearl in "The Girl with the Pearl Earring." The program covers the gamut of Vermeer's art as well as the mystique surrounding Vermeer. Instead of playing that third repeat of the first hour of WESUN, this, bundled with a set of shorter PRX pieces to fill out the other half hour would be surprisingly engaging radio.
Comments for RN Documentary: Six Ways to Vermeer
This piece belongs to the series "RN Documentaries"
Produced by Chris Chambers
Other pieces by Radio Netherlands Worldwide
Rating Summary
2 comments
Dmae Lo Roberts
Posted on May 15, 2004 at 09:22 AM | Permalink
Review of RN Documentary: Six Ways to Vermeer
I'm a fan of Radio Netherland's documentary work and I really looked forward to this piece after reading The Girl With The Pearl Earring. But here's the deal...you have to KNOW the paintings to appreciate this doc. There are three featured paintings and the producer moves through a discussion of the works with beautiful music and articulate historians. So I liked the The Girl segment because I could picture the painting in my mind. The other two segments discussing paintings I didn't know left me a bit...well...clueless. I don't know that most public radio listeners would have more of a reference point so it's difficult to recommend to stations unless programmers are certain that their listeners would know all three paintings. If this were TV, no problem. If this piece was audio for a web stream with the paintings posted on the site, great. But as a radio documentary for an American audience, I think it would be difficult to program.
Jackson Braider
Posted on April 27, 2004 at 04:42 AM | Permalink
Review of RN Documentary: Six Ways to Vermeer
This is a really fascinating effort: three authorities, no narrator, all talking about a singular painter about whom we know almost nothing. Engaging, smart, enthusiastic commentators. The best bits are the intense descriptions of various paintings -- for example, the description of the pearl in "The Girl with the Pearl Earring." The program covers the gamut of Vermeer's art as well as the mystique surrounding Vermeer. Instead of playing that third repeat of the first hour of WESUN, this, bundled with a set of shorter PRX pieces to fill out the other half hour would be surprisingly engaging radio.