Johannes Vermeer (1632—1675) was a Dutch Baroque painter known for his depictions of middle-class society.
Johannes Vermeer Summary
- Born in Delft, in Holland, to a Reformed Church artisan family
- Painted a relatively small number of works (less than 50) of which 34 survive today
- Converted to Catholicism through marriage and exhibited firm faith in his work
- Though his formation is mysterious, became a struggling genre painter
- Made lavish use of the expensive lapis lazuli pigment and rich colors in general
- Witnessed the 1654 gunpowder explosion in Delft and the Dutch ‘Year of Disaster’ of 1672
- Died from illness, left his wife with a significant amount of debt
Johannes Vermeer’s Famous Paintings
- The Little Street (1658)
- The Milkmaid (c. 1658)
- The Girl with the Wine Glass (c. 1659)
- View of Delft (1661)
- Girl with a Pearl Earring (1665)
- Mistress and Maid (1667)
- The Art of Painting (1668)
- The Geographer (1669)
- Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid (1671)