The Dance of Geometry

By Brian Howell and Brian Howell

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1902881478
• ISBN13: 9781902881478
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: Toby Press
• Length: 213 Pages
• Weight: 0.98 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

A Shifting of Perspective

Brian Howell's novel, like many of his short stories, evokes a strong sense of time and place. His interest in film, the perspective he has gained while living abroad, and his passion for seventeenth-century Dutch art play a role in his creation of a window to the world that one suspects exists just beyond the edge of Vermeer's paintings. The first section of the novel follows the development of the young artist, who, at times, one fears will not become the master of the works we view from our point in history. The second section, taken from the secret journal of Balthasar de Monconys, tells of the journalist's brief encounter with Vermeer. Monconys' perspective of the real and the painted Delft and its citizens adds motion and intrigue to the characters Vermeer portrays. The final section centers on a copyist's recreation of a Vermeer painting, the imagined reliving of events in his studio, and the personal drama that provides inspiration for the forger. Each section of the novel can stand, in a manner, on its own, but there is a thread of technique and action that ties the work together and brings Vermeer's world into our own. When one pays a final visit to Vermeer in the reprise, one has a sense of being reconnected to a world that is part of ours but isn't always visible upon first glance. Certain paintings have the ability to draw one into other worlds and times. Howell's novel effects a similar pull.

A Different Way of Looking at Vermeer

Pretty much everything that has been written about Vermeer over the last few years is based on scant historical information and massive speculation. Susan Vreeland's "A Girl in Hyacinth Blue" follows the model of the "Red Violin" fictionalizing the provenance of an "unknown" Vermeer. Tracy Chevalier's "Girl With A Pearl Earring" uses Vermeer as a vehicle to propel what I thought was a pretty heavy-handed and pedestrian coming of age story. Howell's book takes risks the others don't and as a result it's a better book. The three part structure provides an interesting window into Vermeer's craftsmanship, the sources of his inspiration and the cult that has grown up around his small body of work. Even if you've already read one or both of the other two much hyped Vermeer books you'll be glad you read this one. Howell's book is an enviable accomplishment.

The many facets of Vermeer

I thought D.O.G. was wonderful. I was surprised at how much Johannes Vermeer's life would interest me. Made up of three short stories, the first was written as a story told during the younger years of Vermeer's life. The second a journal entry of an acquaintance of Vermeer, and the third written by a Vermeer "copyist" in the present day. I didn't expect the novel to be constructed this way, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.The writing was beautiful in the way everything was described in terms of "geometry"; where things were placed in relation to one another, how light played on objects and rooms. It was as if the life described was written as Vermeer himself would have seen it.I think the author very successfully kept the book together with these three very different stories. In one sense, the Vermeer technique was a thread that evolved throughout the novel. For example, one could see how it developed in the first story when Vermeer discovered the books on perspective and his arguments with his teachers about the importance of light, etc. (I chuckled at Vermeer's slow start in his education...his confusion in math--so common for many artists!) Then in "Shifting Surface..." the camera obscura becomes a huge factor in the story. I was especially fascinated by the controversy and damage such an invention would have caused at that time. Then of course, in "Reconstruction," the copyist describes in detail how the Vermeer painting is created.The narration was intriguing in that it changed dramatically from one story to the next, but not enough to completely throw the reader off course. Whereas the first narration was a passive observation of events, the second was someone's journal, written in the first person. Third was narrated by a man in modern times, again in first person. I have my own ideas as to who the narrators might have been but the point I make is that I enjoy the fact that D.O.G. raises some of these questions and forces the reader to make his/her own interpretations. Each story drew me in...I loved reading about Vermeer's young life, his close relationships with his father and sister. His desire for Catherina, and his sexual experience in Amsterdam (Who would've guessed that such an incident would happen in Amsterdam?!) "The Shifting Surface of Desire" was excellent. De Monconys? experience of walking through Van Ruijven's collection of Vermeer paintings was awesome. The descriptions alone made me want to re-visit the work myself. Of course, Borry's invention of the photographic negative was exciting and shocking in terms of the fear it caused in the Guild. Even "Reconstruction" drew me in. I was a little confused by the flashback-chronology...and needed to reread a bit to discern what Sophie's part was in the grand picture. One thing I liked in this story was how it would jump from John's narration, to Maritje's narration. At first I thought John was putting himself in her shoes, so that he could accurately copy the painting ("The Music L

Another Vermeer?

Yes, but Brian Howell's The Dance of Geometry is as different as Chevalier's Girl with A Pearl Earring is from Weber's The Music Lesson and as different as Vreeland's Girl in Hyacinth Blue is form the other two.Here, in The Dance of Geometry we have for the first time Vermeer as the central figure - not seen through another character's eyes. From his childhood and apprenticeship in 17C Holland, Howell deftly takes us into the painter's world - both the physical and the two dimensional world of the paintings. How the artist's vision grows and how his obsession with geometry develops is as fascinating how the man Vermeer lives his life and the drama that unfolds in these pages. Howell has painted a luminous story about the master of light. Combining drama, politics, and art, he has done a masterful job. - M.J. Rose - author of Flesh Tones.

Imagining Vermeer

Reading Brian Howell's new novel "The Dance of Geometry" took me on a journey in time to 17th century Holland. Through the author's skillful handling of dialogue, description, and explanation of artistic concepts of that period, I experienced the artistic, political, and social thoughts of a fascinating time for art and artists.Howell integrates the known reality of the period with his imagination, demonstrating his gifts as a storyteller. He combines Vermeer's growth as an artist,his interest in the theories of perspective and space, his personal life, and his fascinating teachers with a plot that is brimming with intrigue and surprising events. A contemporary story about art forgery woven into this tale adds to the colorful mix. Provocative questions of ethical artistry, the role of the artist, the illusions of the eye, and the power of human connection flow through this book like the clarifying yet remote light of a Vermeer painting.For those who are unfamiliar with this period in history, there are several pages at the back of the book with explanations of the personalities, artistic terms, and words from Dutch life. This is a masterful tale that has all the elements of great drama. It is fast paced and thought provoking. The characters are strong and invite our emotions, the plot takes unexpected turns, the setting is exotic, and the story is immersed in fact and fiction wavering between reality and illusion.