By Khalida Sarwari
Now that the hype about the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has died down, the focus is back on another European work of mystery: “Girl with a Pearl Earring.”
The de Young Museum in San Francisco will exhibit Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer’s painting this spring, and as a way of providing insight into that work and the art of 17th-century Holland in general, the Saratoga Foothill Club will host professor Fran Rushing, an expert on the topic, for a series of four different lectures covering the artists of that period this February.
Rushing, a professor of art and humanities at De Anza College, will examine the art of that era in a talk titled “The Golden Age of Dutch Painting.” The lectures will be held every Wednesday in February at 7:30 p.m. at the Saratoga Federated Church, 20390 Park Place, with the first one set for Feb. 6.
According to Reiko Iwanaga, a spokeswoman for the club, Rushing is a renowned lecturer who has also taught at San Jose State University and Evergreen Valley College.
Although “Girl with a Pearl Earring” will be the focus of her talk, Rushing is expected to also discuss the works and lives of other Golden Age painters including Rembrandt, Frans Hals and Jan Steen. The best thing about the event, said Nancy Dusthimer, head of the art lecture series committee, is that people can get background information about those painters before they visit the de Young to see the art in person.
“It means a lot more because you know more about the art,” she said.
From Jan. 26 through June 2, the de Young Museum will exhibit “Girl with a Pearl Earring: Dutch Paintings from the Mauritshuis,” a selection of 35 paintings from the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis in the Hague. The collection includes the renowned “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” “The Goldfinch by Carel Fabritius” and four works by Rembrandt van Rijn.
The annual art lecture series, now in its fourth year, was launched as a benefit for the Saratoga Foothill Club Historic Landmark Foundation, charged with the preservation of the Julia Morgan-designed building. The club has raised about $4,000 each year through the series, according to Dusthimer, who has been in charge of the series since its inception.
The funds raised this year will go toward a renovation project at the club, titled Access For All. The building has been closed since late December to allow for the construction of restrooms and entryways that are easily accessible. Once completed, the facility will be ADA-approved, Dusthimer said.
“In the past bathrooms were not as easily accessible for everyone,” she said of the nearly 100-year-old building. “We’re working to improve restrooms and access entryways so that they’re accessible for anyone with any disability.”
Due to the renovations, the program will be held outside of the Foothill Club premises for the first time. The facility is expected to reopen in March, in time for another of the club’s lecture series.
The cost of the four-part art lecture series is $80 and single tickets are $25. To reserve a space, call 408.997.7528.
Art of 17th-century Holland focus of the Foothill Club lecture series
