"Tim's Vermeer" Probes a 350-year-old Secret

As with most great notions, the spark behind the new art documentary Tim's Vermeer began in the bathtub. That's where a Texan inventor of broadcasting and computer graphics technology had a eureka moment about the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. Could the 17th-century master have used an optic device to achieve his photorealistic works?

Flash forward to a fateful dinner the Texan had with his buddy, magician and entertainer Penn Jillette. Between bites he mentioned that he'd been attempting to churn out a Vermeer using a newfangled lens he'd created. Obsession can be contagious. Now Jillette not only wanted to healp crack a 350-year-old secret, he opted to film the process. 'Tim's Vermeer' Shines a Light on Art is my take on the result.