Tim's Vermeer, directed by Teller of Penn and Teller fame and starring his partner Penn Jillette, focuses on a man's obsession with the photorealism of Dutch master Johannes Vermeer's seventeenth century paintings. Tim Jenison, an inventor and computer graphics professional from Texas, was fascinated by the paintings of Vermeer, which are so realistic that everything from skin tones to a multitude of natural and man-made surfaces seem more akin to photographic rather than painted representations.
Jenison was interested in whether Vermeer may have used a camera lucida or similar device using lenses and mirrors during his artistic process. Jenison's mission to recreate Vermeer’s painting The Music Lesson led to a five-year-long, complete reconstruction of the background of the painting. His research was filmed and the footage became the documentary Tim’s Vermeer, which was released today on Blu-ray and digital download. Via Colossal.
http://www.npr.org/2013/12/02/248190117/teller-breaks-his-silence-to-talk-tims-vermeer
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