Vermeer's Camera Obscura: Revealing the Truth Behind His Masterpieces Author: Philip Stadman (UK) Translator: Xu Xinwei Publishing House: Zhejiang People's Fine Arts Publishing House

Stadelmann's rigorous reconstruction of Vermeer's studio using a camera obscura proves that Vermeer used a camera obscura, a device used to project accurate images for painters to trace outlines, and that the 17th-century Dutch artist Vermeer used it to create some of the most famous paintings in Western art.

Rather than negating Vermeer's talent, these discoveries show how he, like many artists, experimented with new techniques to develop his style or choice of subject matter. The book's meticulous surveys and numerous contemporary illustrations beautifully illustrate the enormous scientific and cultural innovation and progress in Europe during that era.

Philip Stadelmann is Professor of Urban and Architectural Form at University College London. Trained as an architect, he has taught at Cambridge University and the Open University. He has published several books on geometric form and computer-aided design in architecture. In the 1960s he edited and published Form magazine, a quarterly art journal, and co-authored a book on kinetic art. In 1989 he helped produce four digital animations of Leonardo da Vinci's work for an exhibition in London. He has also worked on other exhibitions, films and books on perspective geometry and art history. Vermeer's Camera Obscura is the result of Stadelmann's 20-year fascination with the Dutch artist.