Tim's Vermeer

I truly enjoyed every second of this documentary. Sure there are parts that drag on, and in the end you want to see the ramifications of this experiment in the art community, but the hell with them, I have made my verdict. Vermeer, that sneaky bastard!

Fascinating story of a man's obsession. The ending felt lacking and not enough discussion on technology and art which could have been a stronger portion of the movie. However, Tim's constant push to finish his project kept this movie moving.

Cool doc with a few "wow" moments, but could've easily been half the length without losing much.

Impossible to not be astonished by. This very remarkable quest makes for a consistently fascinating doco that is sure to engage anyone with any degree of interest in painting and technology. Very quaintly produced, not too much of Penn's narration, just lovely music and visual montages of the progress, which is all you need for the most part. My biggest complaint would be that it's too short, could've done with a little more information (like how he handled the paints to get the right colours).

Incredibly fascinating. Glued to the screen the whole time!

Fascinating documentary which becomes much more relevant if you've ever tried your own hand at painting. The sound isn't great, there's points where it drags, and Penn Jellette is (obviously - he's a professional entertainer) a lot more interesting to listen to than the star Tim - but I was still mesmerised. The film seems explosive at first - suggesting that Vermeer pretty much cheated, but then as we watch Tim on his journey, we see the story of a man making art and all the pain that involves.

Incredible. Simply incredible.

Cool stuff. Though this documentary is not structured in an entirely effective manner, it meanders and loses you at times, the idea behind it as well as the wealth of information offered makes it more than worthwhile to check out.

Fascinating, but does drag.

Way too long but fascinating subject (both the man and the mission). Penn manages to tone it down and appear thoughtful at times. Worth watching even if the pacing is off.

Painting, reverse-engineering, dedication, and concentration -- what's not to love? A good complement to Vanity Fair's lengthy article about it. The film medium works well for showing the method and Tim's progress.

While the artistic pursuits of the idle wealthy are not bound by resources or ambition, detachment from emotion and urgency can leave a hollow final product.

Tim's Rich

As a painter it is difficult for me not to find this interesting, although as a documentary it is somewhat tactless at times, particularly once he actually starts the painting. Still, it manages to--rather subtly--chastise the art historian community and their flagrant, idyllic romanticism regarding the physical creation of art. Had to cringe at that varnishing technique though, could have been a disaster!

OK, now this guy is amazing. And crazy. Nobody in their right mind would do all those things to make one painting. But his passion comes across lound and clear. And that makes it interesting. At the end it doesn't even matter how Vermeer painted, but what remains is the end-goal of Jenison. But most of all I liked the angle of technology vs. art; why does it have to one or the other? 68/100.

Eye opening in that we can all reproduce this technique if required. Impressionism be damned.

Interesting experiment, accomplished with an astonishing dedication to the task. The only problem I have is that there was clearly some homework to be done on the historical front, because there are some flat out factually incorrect propositions made (including from David Hockney). Lumping Van Eyck, Caravaggio and Vermeer in one category is near unforgivable ignorance in this context. Okay, so it's not the point, and I still enjoyed the film.

Wow!

could have been great but is missing any argument against somewhat of an echo chamber with no reaction to the outcome still of enjoyable to watch

I don't know how scientific it actually is but I had a good time watching it.

Fascinating. While Tim isn't a regular guy by any stretch (he's exceptional in his own field of work), the practical application of his solution seems to show his theory is right. Part of the fun of this is seeing him figure out how to engineer this and then out in the hard work to see it through.

i'm 100% positive i can paint like tim

We'll likely never know whether the hypotheses proposed in this film are true, and I don't think it really matters that much in the end. This is fascinating because it's a window into a remarkable man's psyche and obsessions. The painting he produces after his considerable efforts is wildly impressive, and the film as a whole is engrossing, and quite thought provoking.

Very enjoyable documentary that [inadvertently?] raises as many technical questions as it answers.

mind blowing experience