Vermeer

Johannes Vermeer (baptized October 31, 1632 in Delft, buried December 15, 1675) is one of the three absolute masters of the Dutch Golden Age alongside Rembrandt and Frans Hals. Son of Reynier Janszoon, an innkeeper, weaver, and art dealer, he grew up in Delft’s artistic milieu and married Catharina Bolnes, a wealthy Catholic, in 1653, likely converting to Catholicism for this marriage. Admitted to the Guild of Saint Luke the same year, he became a headman in 1662 at only 30 years old, testifying to the recognition of his peers. The couple would have eleven children, a considerable burden which, combined with the economic crisis of 1672 (Rampjaar), precipitated his financial ruin. Vermeer died suddenly in December 1675, “in the space of a day or a day and a half” according to his widow, leaving his family riddled with debts.

A painter of prodigious slowness (approximately three paintings per year), Vermeer produced only about forty works during his career, of which 34 are authenticated with certainty today. Working primarily for private patrons such as Pieter Claesz. van Ruijven, he remains famous for his intimate genre scenes with perfect perspectives—probably achieved through the use of a camera obscura—and his masterful use of natural ultramarine and the blue-yellow pairing. Having fallen into relative obscurity after his death despite the continuous presence of his works in collections, he was rediscovered in 1866 by French critic Théophile Thoré-Bürger, who nicknamed him the “Sphinx of Delft” due to the mystery surrounding his life. Girl with a Pearl Earring (“The Mona Lisa of the North”), The Milkmaid, and View of Delft now rank among the most famous paintings in the world, placing Vermeer in the pantheon of art history.