Learning from Vermeer: What “The Allegory of Painting” Means for Clinical Theory

Vermeer's masterpiece, "The Allegory of Painting," which is the one work that he refused to sell, brings to mind the successful outcome of psychoanalytic treatment. In its incongruities, this painting presumably contains and reflects the conflicted inner world of the artist, but it also evokes a remarkable sense of coherence and harmony. To develop a credible explanation for Vermeer's achievement in analytic terms, I found it helpful to employ several major theoretical models; this finding suggests that for clinical analysis as well, a multi-theory approach would be optimal.