“Vermeer” by Tomas Tranströmer, or a Painter on a Poet’s Couch

Abstract

This article presents an interpretation of Tomas Transtrőmer's poem “Vermeer” from the perspective of psychoanalytic theory, which describes the creative process as an act of overcoming the depressive position. The poem is considered a testimony to the reception of a painting, in which the viewer discovers evidence of the crisis experienced by the artist and his successful overcoming of it—and as a creative act, repeating the painter's experience. The close reading of the ekphrasis takes into account the observations of art historians that the striking calmness of Vermeer's depictions finds a counterpoint in the recurring motifs of the map and the letter introduced by the painter. A similar technique used by Tranströmer in “Vermeer” is the interplay between “inside” and “outside,” resulting in important observations about the sources and essence of the creative act. In conclusion, a more general view of Tranströmer's lyrical anthropology of art and the creative act is proposed. It is claimed that the Swedish poet had recognized the universal significance of art and creation basing on their importance in human self-discovery in the world—a view close to some elements of the psychoanalytical theory of art.