Tim's Vermeer

2013 • 79 minutes
4.5
461 reviews
90%
Tomatometer
PG-13
Rating
Eligible
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About this movie

Tim's Vermeer, directed by Teller of Penn & Teller fame. Produced by Teller's stage partner Penn Jillette and Farley Ziegler, the film follows Tim Jenison, a Texas based inventor, as he attempts to solve one of the greatest mysteries in all of art: How did 17th century Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer ('Girl with a Pearl Earring') manage to paint so photo-realistically, 150 years before the invention of photography? Jenison's epic research project ultimately succeeds as he uses 17th century technology -- lenses and mirrors -- to develop a technique that might have been used by Vermeer, supporting a theory as extraordinary as what he discovers. Spanning a decade, Jenison's adventure takes him to Delft, Holland, where Vermeer painted his masterpieces; on a pilgrimage to the North coast of Yorkshire to meet artist David Hockney; and eventually even to Buckingham Palace, to see the Queen's Vermeer.
Rating
PG-13

Ratings and reviews

4.5
461 reviews
Moviefone
July 9, 2014
This doc directed by Teller (of Penn and Teller fame) is about an inventor named Tim Jenison, and his mission to figure out how Vermeer created photorealistic paintings well before the advent of photography. Critics love this fascinating doc, and maybe you will too.
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Kathleen Crowder Alexander
August 6, 2014
this film painstakingly follows tim on his quest to answer his own question about Vermeer. The drive and determination of this man borders on the obsessive. It is interesting to watch the developments throughout this process and the dedication given to this project.
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Todd Mitchell
June 14, 2014
Probably the most interesting documentary I've ever watched. Can't recommend this enough. I'm by no means an art enthusiast, but this grabbed me within the first five minutes.
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