Johannes Vermeer

Johannes Vermeer was a Dutch painter who is known for his intimate domestic scenes and for his extraordinary treatment of the light. He is regarded as one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age.

Early Life and Education

Vermeer was born in Delft in 1632 and was baptised there. His father was a silk weaver and an innkeeper and also dealt in the works of art.

He joined the Guild of Saint Luke in Delft in 1653 and became the head of the guild in 1662. He may have been a pupil of the painters of the Utrecht school or of the Rembrandt circle.

He lived and worked in Delft for the whole of his life. The city and its inhabitants provided the subjects of many of his paintings.

The Domestic Scenes

Vermeer painted the interiors of the houses and the quiet domestic activities of the women. The Milkmaid and the Woman with a Water Jug are among his most admired works.

He was a master of the light and of the perspective. He used the camera obscura to study the effects of the light and the composition.

He used the expensive pigments, including the ultramarine made from the lapis lazuli. The use of the costly materials suggests that he had wealthy patrons.

He painted the map on the wall and the other objects with a meticulous attention to the detail. The objects reflect the wealth and the culture of the Dutch Republic.

The Recognition and the Style

Vermeer was well regarded in his lifetime and was elected to the guild. The French art critic Thoré-Bürger rediscovered his work in the nineteenth century and established his reputation.

He produced a small number of paintings, of which about thirty-five are known. The scarcity of his work is one of the reasons for the high value of his paintings.

His depiction of the light and the colour influenced the development of the painting. The quiet and the contemplative quality of his work is greatly admired.

The painting The Girl with a Pearl Earring is one of the most famous images in the art. The novel and the film based on it have popularised his work.

The Later Years and the Legacy

Vermeer was financially troubled in his later years and left his family in debt. He died in 1675 in Delft and was buried in the Old Church.

His wife Catharina Bolnes had to petition the courts for the settlement of the debts. The family faced the poverty after his death.

He was almost forgotten for two centuries after his death. The interest in his work revived in the nineteenth century and his reputation has been high ever since.

His paintings are among the most valuable in the world. He is regarded as one of the greatest masters of the light and of the composition.

The Light and the Colour

Vermeer was a master of the depiction of the light. He painted the soft light that enters the room through the window.

He used the ultramarine and the lead white to create the effects of the light. The blues and the yellows of his paintings are the result of the expensive pigments.

He used the glazing and the layering to achieve the luminous surface. The technique produces the sense of the depth and the atmosphere.

The Subjects and the Patrons

Vermeer painted the domestic scenes of the women in the interior. The works reflect the culture of the Dutch Republic and the prosperity of the merchant class.

He had the wealthy patrons, including Pieter van Ruijven, who bought many of his works. The patronage supported him and his family.

He also painted the cityscape and the allegorical works. The View of Delft is one of the most admired of the cityscapes.

The Honours and the Memory

Vermeer's works are among the most valuable in the world. The Girl with a Pearl Earring is held by the Mauritshuis in The Hague.

The novel and the film based on the painting have popularised his work. The exhibitions of his paintings attract the visitors from throughout the world.

He is regarded as one of the greatest masters of the light and of the composition. His influence is visible in the work of the later painters of the interior.

The Technique and the Study

Vermeer used the camera obscura to study the effects of the light. The device projected the image of the scene onto a surface.

He used the pointillé technique of the small dots of the light. The technique creates the effect of the sparkling highlights.

The scholars have studied the pigments and the underdrawing of his paintings. The technical study has revealed the method of his work.

The Family and the Finances

Vermeer married Catharina Bolnes in 1653 and the couple had many children. The family lived in the house of his mother-in-law in Delft.

He was financially troubled in his later years and left his family in debt. The war with France disrupted the market for the art.

His wife had to petition the courts for the settlement of the debts. He died in 1675 and was buried in the Old Church in Delft.

References

^[1] ^[2] ^[3] ^[4]

↑ Gowing, Lawrence. Vermeer. New York: Harper and Row, 1970.
↑ Montias, John Michael. Vermeer and His Milieu. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1989.
↑ Steadman, Philip. Vermeer's Camera. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.
↑ Liedtke, Walter. Vermeer and the Delft School. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2001.

[r1-1] Gowing, Lawrence. Vermeer. New York: Harper and Row, 1970.

[r2-2] Montias, John Michael. Vermeer and His Milieu. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1989.

[r3-3] Steadman, Philip. Vermeer's Camera. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.

[r4-4] Liedtke, Walter. Vermeer and the Delft School. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2001.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]