|
|
Johannas "Jan" Vermeer (yo HAH nus "YAHN" vur MEER) was born in the Netherlands in the city of Delft in 1632. His father was an art dealer, and through the early contacts with artists Jan became interested in painting. The majority of his work was portraits which he painted for people.
Many great painters lived in Holland including Rembrandt and Pieter de Hooch. This particular time in history was called the Golden Age of Art. People in Holland liked scenes of everyday life and Vermeer's paintings reflected this. These were genre (ZHAHN ruh) paintings. Earlier in his career he painted Bible stories and pictures about mythology.
He usually only included one or two people in a picture. He depicted people doing everyday things, and most of the settings were indoors. Women were his favorite subjects. He frequently had a window in his paintings. In our featured work "The Lacemaker" you can see how her handwork is illuminated by the sun streaming in through a window.(See examples of handmade lace.)
His painting "Officer and Laughing Girl" includes a map on the wall. During that time maps were very expensive, and to own such a map indicated wealth and education.
In The Artist's Studio below we see a view of an artist painting in his studio. The map hanging on this wall is made of fabric. The second picture also has a map in the background. Notice the artist's use of light in this painting. The sunlight is streaming through the window and reflecting off the woman's white clothing and the shiny pitcher and bowl.
Girl With a Pearl Earring is one of Vermeer's most famous paintings. The subject seems to be a simple girl, yet the pearl is very large and evidently of great value. The background is black focusing the viewer's attention on the girl. There is a film version of Vermeer's life "Girl with the Pearl Earring" based on Tracy Chevalier's book by the same name. In 1881 the painting Girl with a Pearl Earring sold for ten guilders which was a little more than what a man would earn in 10 days.
The Art of Painting
Enlarged view
Young Woman With a Water Pitcher
Enlarged view
Girl With a Pearl Earring
Enlarged view
Some of his pictures feature a large oak table which belonged to his mother-in-law. He would move it upstairs when he wanted to include it in a painting. Vermeer spent his whole life in the city of Delft. He painted a few landscapes. One of the most famous is "View of Delft", his hometown.
View of Delft
Enlarged view
However, he is best remembered for his scenes of everyday life. He included props such as chairs, vases, and tapestries in his compositions. Many of them had a light source from a window with the light streaming in from left to right.
When he was 20 his father died and he took over the inn. In addition to his painting he was the landlord of the inn and tavern. When his mother died he inherited the inn. His art studio was at his home. He married Catherina Bolnes at age 21 and they had fifteen children. Four of them did not survive past childhood, but eleven of them grew up. The family lived with Vermeer's mother-in-law Maria Thins for some time. It was expensive providing for such a large family and there was always a lot of work to be done. Early on there was ample money and he lived above his means and incurred debt. Later when the government flooded their land to protect the country, the farm they owned was ruined. Vermeer himself was devastated, lost his health, and died in a very short time. He left Catherina a widow with ten children still at home. It was hard for her to provide for them.
Vermeer's paintings were not esteemed as highly as other Dutch painters during his lifetime. Maybe it was because he didn't paint very many pictures, only about 35-40, and because he didn't usually sign his paintings, people thought they had been painted by someone else. It was not until 200 years later people realized the importance of his work.
References:
Hammacher, A.M., and R. Hammacher Vandenbrande. Flemish and Dutch Art. New York: Franklin Watt, Inc, 1965.
Order
Kostner, Thomas, and Lars Roper.50 Artists You Should Know. New York: Prestel, 2006.
Order
Wilder, Jesse Bryant. Art History for Dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishing Inc, 2007.
Order
Venezia, Mike. Vermeer. New York: Children's Press, 2002.
Order
RESEARCH LINKS
Biography of Vermeer
Essential Vermeer
many links to information about the artist
Vermeer
See index in the left column
Other works by Vermeer
Camera Obscura (audio)
Engines of Our Ingenuity.
Works of Vermeer
art reproductions Isabel Art Gallery
Web Gallery of Art
"The Love Letter"
(You can enlarge the picture by clicking on it.)
Art History
online interactive art lesson - elementary
Vermeer Biography and Prints
(Spanish version)
Fandex Field Guide: Painters
By Workman Publishing
Fandex brings the world of Western art to your fingertips with a field guide of painters, their legacies, and the often extreme lives they led. A chronology from Giotto, the first modern painter, to Frank Stella, whose black paintings proclaimed "what you see is what you see." Here is Michelangelo, who resented having to paint the Sistene Chapel because it took him away from sculpture. Botticelli and Vermeer, whose work languised in obscurity until the nineteenth century. Mary Cassatt, the only American to be included with the Impressionists. Illustrating each entry is a portrait or self-portrait of the artist, plus significant paintings and details.
A LIBRARY OF
ONLINE BOOKS and BOOK PREVIEWS
Vermeer's Lady at the Virginals
by Benedict Nicolson (full view)
Preview these Amazon books using the links below.
Vermeer
by Melody S. Mis (selected pages)
Vermeer
by Lawrence Gowing, Johannes Vermeer(selected pages)
Vermeer's Camera: uncovering the truth behind the masterpieces
by Philip Steadman (selected pages)
Vermeer
by Norbert Schneider (selected pages)
A Study of Vermeer
by Edward A. Snow, Johannes Vermeer(selected pages)
Girl With a Pearl Earring
by Tracy Chevalier(selected pages)
Puzzles on these pages courtesy of
Songs of Praise and Armored Penguin
Page Comments
Most Recent Comments ( See more comments on this page ) 2012-08-07
Thank you! Thank you! This site is so absolutely wonderful! Thank you for the time you have spent putting it together . It is a great blessing to me and to my children! God bless you!
2011-05-04
I don't really have any words on what to say about his paintings. But I actually have a few. His paintings are absolutely breathtaking! I learned alot about Vermeer with the book called Chasing Vermeer. you guys or girls should really read it. it's really sad we know very little about his life. when you see a painting you just feel like learning about the artists life. but when you come to Vermeer, there is not much to tell. it's really to bad because his paintings ar beautiful
Nobody2011-04-04
WOW!! I feel as though I have stumbled onto a pot of gold! This information is absolutely wonderful. So nice of you to share it. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!
Wendy
Leave a Comment View all Comments
Famous Artists in this Series
Index to Famous Paintings
Art Appreciation
Lessons for Kids
Work a Jigsaw Puzzle
Online Crossword Puzzle 
Online Word Search
Online Word Scramble
Color Picture Online
Online Multiple-Choice Test
