Johannes Vermeer was a Dutch painter who lived in Delft, Netherlands, and painted Dutch scenes and portraits. His father was a silk merchant and art dealer who also kept a tavern. His father’s social class would probably be described as lower middle-class. Vermeer probably took over the business after his father’s death in 1655. Vermeer learned his craft during a six-year apprenticeship in the St. Luke’s Guild in Delft, of which his father was a member. We know little more about his early life and training, since little written documentation is available.
He painted a small number of works. Most experts have authenticated 35 paintings. His paintings tend to be small in size, but detailed, and most of the subjects are domestic scenes, tradesmen’s offices and other interiors, though he also painted two views of Delft. He was interested in exploring the use of the principle of perspective in his paintings. Only a few of his paintings were sold; many were still held by his family at the time of his death.
The Girl with a Pearl Earring (above) is one of Vermeer’s most famous paintings. It was painted in 1665 as one of a series of “Pearl pictures.” It is owned by the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, Netherlands.
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