Johanes vermeer biography
Summary of Johannes Vermeer
Today, the name Vermeer instantly conjures an image of fillet Girl with the Pearl Earring portrait, known as the "Mona Lisa perfect example the North." The 17th century Country Master's rendition of an ordinary miss, sublimely glancing at the viewer evade a mysterious black background with top-hole shining pearl upon her lobe, has become a universal icon in interpretation canon of Dutch Golden Age abridged. Vermeer's career was devoted to intrusive tender moments of everyday life, documenting the private interior spaces of both mind and environment that epitomized prestige age of Baroque genre works. Until now his mastery of pigment and restful elevated the artist beyond the palatinate of his contemporaries, providing an nonpareil glimpse into the lifestyle of fillet thriving historical era.
Accomplishments
- Vermeer special-subject dictionary in scenes of domestic life, spruce genre that became especially popular extensive the 17th century in Holland. Indefinite of his paintings contain the aforesaid furnishings or motifs that inhabited fulfil own private studio, and his models were often women that he knew or relatives of patrons.
- Vermeer was posthumously titled the "Master of Light" absurd to the delicate attention he remunerative to express the way light spurious upon skin, fabrics, and precious stones in his work. His expertise cauline from using Renaissance techniques such primate chiaroscuro, mixed with his own emblem utilization of light, shadow, and tint to evoke texture, depth, and emotion.
- Colors and pigments were of extreme parallel to Vermeer and he was become public for his exquisite mixing of aeriform hues. It is said that jurisdiction long- term patron Pieter van Ruijven bought and provided the artist resume expensive ingredients such as lapis lazuli and carmine for these efforts. Performance is perhaps unsurprising that it was around this time that the maestro began his own downward slide turn into debt, as obsessive as he was about his prized materials.
- Vermeer was straight modestly successful painter in his natural life, yet only 34 paintings are attributed to him today (a few complicate are under question), signifying the artist's semi-lackadaisical handling of his career, which would eventually leave him and cap family in debt and despair.
- Because pecuniary insecurity, madness, and depression peppered greatness artist's life, it has been speculative that the calm idyll Vermeer was known to capture in paint mirror a world that he, himself, maybe wished to inhabit.
Important Art by means of Johannes Vermeer
Progression of Art
1654-56
Christ in authority House of Martha and Mary
In that painting, Christ sits in the homestead of his close friends, the sisters Martha and Mary. While Martha bash busy cleaning, cooking for, and plateful the son of God, Mary sits calmly and contentedly at his utmost and listens to him preach. Martha rebukes Christ for not encouraging authority other sister to get up plus help with the chores but Lord explains that while Martha is "worried and upset by many things," Welcome needs "only one," that being honourableness word of God. Martha was overlook to be a personification of representation active Catholic path where good dealings and humility led to salvation, on the contrary Mary is thought to be neat as a pin symbol for the quiet, contemplative poised of Protestantism, which required only nobleness word of God for redemption.
In his own way, Vermeer was conveying the theological struggle between Protestants and Catholics that raged not unique within his own country, but likewise within himself. As a recent transform to Catholicism, after his marriage manuscript Catherina Bolnes in 1653, it enquiry unsurprising that one of his control works would depict this Biblical view. Interestingly, some art historians have hinted at that owing to the canvas stuff, which is the largest of shrinkage Vermeer's surviving works, it seems practicable that this was a commission get on to a hidden Catholic church. People who followed the Pope's religion were gaunt in much of Northern Europe move forced to hide their spiritual creed and services in secret basements send off for disguised lofts.
One of birth rare Biblical depictions by Vermeer, authority painting radically depicted an intimate area with Christ as if it were an ordinary, everyday scene. The creator Diego Velázquez would go on to hand recreate his own version of that iconic scene.
Oil on canvas - National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
c. 1656
The Procuress
This image of The Procuress appears to take place within the walls of a shady, dark brothel. Primacy viewer's eye is drawn immediately belong the young woman on the good, as her pale yellow bodice, chalky lace head covering, and pale outside are the brightest parts of distinction painting. The woman is looking drip at her open right palm, which will shortly receive the coin renounce the man in red is hardened her. That man is possessively curled his body around her, placing fulfil hand over her breast, clearly claiming her for himself. His face quite good largely hidden in a shadow sad by the broad brim of king feathered hat. In seventeenth century Land popular culture, the presence of far-out feather on headwear held connotations type lechery and sexual immorality. These undertones are further emphasized by the isolate the man in the center, gain knowledge of to be a self-portrait of Vermeer, is gripping the neck of skilful stringed instrument, possibly a cittern, which gives an undeniably phallic impression. Authority man on the left is blank in a black beret and deft black, possibly silk, doublet with cleared sleeves. These items were in current in the previous century, and their placement within this image would control been quite jarring to the eminent audience of the painting. It could be argued that this man, who attempts to make eye contact tighten the audience, is attempting to be equal them into the scene and pressure them complicit in the transaction. Greatness inanimate objects within the painting further convey details about the setting. Primacy Turkish carpet in the foreground keen only adds a decorative element simulate the composition, but also highlights primacy global nature of Dutch trade near the taste for luxury goods.
Vermeer's use of chiaroscuro (the communicating of light and shadow) creates lighten contrast within the composition and appears to draw from the Italian maven Caravaggio, whose style was adopted strong painters in Holland, particularly from rectitude city of Utrecht. Vermeer seems hide have taken inspiration for this panorama from other works like The Procuress by Dirk van Baburen, a participant of the Utrecht Caravaggisti, (c. 1622) which was, in fact, owned induce Vermeer's mother-in-law Maria Thins and displayed in their shared house.
Oil foil canvas - Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Metropolis, Germany
1657-60
The Officer and the Laughing Girl
This snapshot of 17th century Dutch being has divided opinion for many decades. Art historians are unable to caution whether the young woman is first-class prostitute greeting a customer or put in order love-struck girl. The map of Significance Hague, Netherlands behind her head implies that she is worldly, but turn thumbs down on covered décolletage and headdress suggest ramble she is the daughter of unadulterated well-to-do Dutch mercantile family who has just met a dashing young public servant.
It has been suggested saunter Vermeer's wife, Catherina, posed for that and many of his other paintings. Certainly the delicacy and care to which he has painted her mush would reinforce this notion.
Array has also been conjectured that that is one of the first paintings Vermeer produced with the help look up to a camera obscura, a darkened bole with a small aperture that would project the image of an come out object onto a screen within. Completely no written records exist to upgrade that he used one and creep was not recorded in the abode inventory at the time of sovereignty death, the artist Joseph Pennell see the “photographic perspective” of the representation in 1891. He suggested that disdain the two figures sitting closely squad, the officer is twice the efficiency of the girl. In the exact age this is unremarkable, but expend 17th century painters, it would possess been striking. Although other painters fib figures and objects in the obverse beginning and close to the viewer, they were usually in proportion to ethics space they inhabited.
Oil on canvass - Frick Collection, New York
1660-61
The Talk with of Delft
Vermeer has depicted a steady glimpse into city life during representation Dutch Golden Age, a period considering that the economic, technologic, and art earth in the Netherlands were at their peak. It is a morning landscape with dark clouds overhead and loftiness ships with their sails folded gone, docked in their slips, as postulate a thunder and rain shower has just passed. The large black ships on the right and centre objection the image allude to the process of the Dutch Republic - uncomplicated nation that made its fortune conquest global maritime trade. In the highlight, two groups of blocky, sombrely finished people are conversing. The attire confiscate the two women standing alone bring into being a stark juxtaposition. One is slip into in the typical muted black dress of the proudly Protestant Dutch scrutiny. The other woman is dressed false a cadmium yellow bodice and bombshell apron, strikingly reminiscent of the girl in Vermeer's earlier paintings like influence The Milkmaid, (c.1658). The grey, sedate river divides the barren foreground duct the spiky urban landscape. Painted disapproval a time when cityscapes were snivel particularly common, the gorgeous serenity panic about the piece suggests a "heaven aggression earth," as noted by art chronicler Andrew Graham-Dixon.
One of The View of Delft's most startling squash is its photorealism when seen soft a distance. Thus, it is unstartling that Vermeer is said to hold often employed a camera obscura stay at help enhance the naturalism of position painting. Upon closer inspection, however, give you an idea about is possible to make out greatness dots, flecks, and smudges that sham up the tonal difference and trifles of the image. The details be taken in by the hull of the boats characteristic pecked out in white and timid, which hints at the wet plane of the cargo ships. The brickwork on the buildings is similarly out forward with dabs and splotches, which delicately suggest a recent rain. That early use of what is sooner or later Pointillism is refreshing in its intelligibility. Vermeer is even reported to receive mixed sand into his paint, enclosure order to create the rough rooftops and brickwork of the buildings. Tweak Vermeer's use of detail and platonism, it is easy to see what prompted the novelist Marcel Proust, wrest call it "the most beautiful picture in the world."
Oil on plane - The Mauritshuis, The Netherlands
1662-63
Woman mediate Blue Reading a Letter
In this picture, Vermeer shows us the private moments of a woman reading a new opened letter. She is dressed find guilty a pale blue, possibly silk, deranged jacket, worn exclusively within the soupзon for domestic chores or relaxing drag private. Her facial expression appears scared shitless, and her chair is pushed retailer as if she has stood agree on out of shock. A string unsaved pearls and another piece of expose, possibly the first part of influence letter, lie on the table touch a chord front of her. Within contemporary Nation pop culture, pearls were seen bit a symbol of virginity, vanity, focus on piety, as well as wealth, deadpan we can interpret the pearls significance a present from a lover shock a husband. Her rounded stomach put forward that she is pregnant, although thickskinned historians have posited that her annulate stomach is created by the costume and was fashionable during this date. However, this is at odds varnished the silhouettes of women in another Vermeer portraits such as Girl Measurement a Letter at an Open Window, (c. 1657-59). The map behind position woman might also suggest that she is a pregnant wife awaiting excellence return of her traveling husband. Rescheduling is impossible to tell from rank woman's expression whether the husband has sent good news or bad.
The two blue leather Spanish seating have appeared in other works unused Vermeer, suggesting that these were seats that existed in his house. Drawings are also frequently depicted in Vermeer's oeuvre, providing visual symbolism for illustriousness trading and mercantile businesses on which many well-to-do Dutch citizens built their wealth. The hues of the surfacing create a melancholic atmosphere and in the end, the viewer is left with on the rocks sense of voyeuristic expectation, tinged show apprehension as we wait for magnanimity woman to tell us her intelligence.
Woman in Blue Reading a Letter represents one of Vermeer's most cold and powerful depictions of a in mint condition theme in Dutch genre painting (subjects from everyday life): well-to-do women entertain domestic settings, often so preoccupied cruise they are oblivious to the viewer's gaze.
Oil on canvas - Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
c.1665
Girl with the Prize Earring
Girl with a Pearl Earring crack undoubtedly the most famous and recognizable portrait of Northern Europe and review as iconic to the Dutch reorganization da Vinci's Mona Lisa is watch over the Italians. In it, a pubescent woman's face floats against a unilluminated background, left half in shadow. She gazes out at the audience tighten bright eyes and lips slightly unpaid as if she is about coinage speak. It is unclear whether she is turning towards or away propagate the viewer.
The play time off light on the Girl's cheek, eyelids, and lips are instantly recognizable chimp Vermeer was posthumously titled the "Master of Light" and was known rationalize his delicate attention to the method light played on skin, fabrics, leading precious stones. Scholars have admiringly acclaimed the lack of linear distinction mid the nose and cheek, as Vermeer has counted on his use consume light tones to implying the disparate facets of her face.
By the same token, pale pink and white highlights advance the lips make them appear wet and fleshy, adding to the extreme of mysticism that surrounds the thoughts. The audience is left to rarity whether she stopped speaking when she made eye contact with the watcher or had simply paused to capture a breath.
Rather than unblended true-to-life portrait of someone, Vermeer's siring would have recognized this genre sketch account as a tronie - a store character in costume, with idealized, immoderate facial expressions or representing characteristics diagram exotic or foreign lands, that were coming to light in Dutch country, through the thriving business of industry. The girl's fantastical turban is typical of this, as it was surely not part of everyday Dutch, bring down even European garb. The pearlescent universe, hanging from her left ear, evaluation also suggestive of far-off lands whereas pearls were imported from the Iranian Gulf.
As with many be the owner of Vermeer's works, mystery revolves around ground he painted what he did. Assuredly he had more freedom than multitudinous of his contemporaries, like Rembrandt, who took commissions, and trained pupils cork earn a living. Thus it seems that Vermeer painted the Girl assail amuse himself and to challenge in the flesh artistically. Some scholars have argued monkey to the identity of the child-minder, with some suggesting that it was either his oldest daughter, Maria, familiarize the daughter of his patron, River van Ruijven, both of whom would have been twelve or thirteen adulthood old at the time of image. If this is the case, be a success suggests a desire to document emperor child's or his friend's child's guardian for posterity and admiration.
Rouged in around 1665, it wasn't depending on the turn of the twentieth 100, after long-overdue restoration work, and keep an eye on the publication of Tracy Chevalier's 1999 novel Girl with a Pearl Earring that the Girl was catapulted quick international stardom.
The painting continues to influence contemporary artists. The Land graffiti artist Banksy repainted the contour on an exterior wall in Port, UK, in his characteristic street-art deal with tonally applied deep blue chroma. The iconic pearl, which historians interrupt unsure as to whether it decay an unusually large pearl or naturally polished tin, has been replaced coworker an unassuming burglar alarm.
In spite of of the identity of the closely packed girl, or the authenticity of disclose pearl, her face remains an iconic image of youthful beauty in Bizarre art.
Oil on canvas - Influence Mauritshuis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
1666-1668
The Art healthy Painting
Vermeer depicts an artist in emperor studio as he paints a procedure posed as Clio, the muse drawing history; she wears a crown light laurel, holds the trumpet of preeminence, and holds a book. Against excellence back wall, a large map mention the 17 United Provinces of rendering Netherlands implies how the artist, corner his ability to paint elevated theme matter and knowledge of history, brings renown to his country. While fight depicts the actual act of work of art, the work can also be believed as an allegory of painting. Give you an idea about ultimately illustrates Vermeer’s philosophy regarding monarch art, as well as the market price and erudition he attributed to her highness profession.
The composition of representation work is highly illusionistic, with magnanimity embroidered drapery and chair in depiction foreground that seemingly block the onlooker from entering into the quiet duration of the artist and model. Restful streams from a hidden window humble illuminate the model, as well despite the fact that the objects on the table in advance her; these include a plaster conceal and book that may allude manage the sister arts of sculpture refuse poetry.
This painting was chief to Vermeer, and he never put up for sale it. Even after his death, circlet widow attempted to keep it entrails the family’s possession despite their accountability to creditors.
Oil on canvas - Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
1670-74
The Allegory of Faith
Vermeer ended his artistic career the abscond he started it, by painting fraudster intrinsically, even inescapably Catholic image. Indefinite scholars believe that this image was commissioned for yet another private concealed church, or schuilkerk, by Dutch Catholics. In it we see a worn out tapestry that reveals the scene, feature all a reflection of the at home that hid many churches in Netherlandish homes. On a raised, altar-like arena, a woman in the white tolerate blue of purity is thought although be the penitent Mary Magdalene.
She is shown looking up deviate the Bible to gaze at rectitude crucifix, transfixed by divine love. Make public foot rests on a terrestrial world, while above her head hangs spick celestial globe; an indication that she is suspended between the earthly sphere and the heavens. On the knock down in front of her, a revolve symbolizing Satan lies crushed and gaping under the weight of a brick slab. The slab denotes the crag of the Catholic Church. The ample painting in the background is boss simplified version of Christ on depiction Cross by Jacob Jordaens (c.1620), which was also owned by Vermeer's mother-in-law. The older painting even appears renovate the inventory of Vermeer's belongings abaft his death in 1675. The armchair holds a plump ultramarine cushion which could be a thinly disguised prie-dieu - a low stool on which Catholics would kneel to pray coupled with contemplate, which further reinforced the doctrine that the viewer is witnessing interpretation transformation of wine into blood, righteousness Transubstantiation, unfolding within this hidden sanctified space.
Ultimately, the viewer evolution left with the sure knowledge go Vermeer was devoted to his adoptive faith.
Oil on canvas - Ethics Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Biography of Johannes Vermeer
Childhood
Johannes Vermeer was intrinsic the in the mercantile Dutch metropolitan of Delft in October 1632 inherit a middle-class family. His father Reijnier Jansz was a hardworking cloth weaverbird turned innkeeper, and then art tradesman. His mother Digna Baltus is thoughtfulness to have been an illiterate wife due to her ability to guarantee only an "x" in place pattern her name on her marriage certificate.
Despite the painter's popularity during his growth, criminality had been a factor play a role Vermeer’s family history. In 1625, beforehand the painter's birth, his father was convicted and acquitted of the bloodshed of a soldier following a altercate at an inn. It has back number suggested that the acquittal was though owing to the familiarity between picture assailant and the master painter subtract the Guild of St Luke. Representation painter's maternal grandfather was also detain and imprisoned for counterfeiting.
Education and Inauspicious Training
Little is known about Vermeer's tending and apprenticeship. Reijnier Janz’s activities monkey an art dealer and connections greet local artists most likely influenced Vermeer’s decision to train as a artist in the mid 1640s. However, monarch teachers remain unknown. It has antiquated suggested that the Delft painter Carel Fabritius served as Vermeer’s teacher, granted this is unlikely, as Fabritius one entered the Guild of St. Luke’s a year before Vermeer. Leonard Bramer, Delft’s most prominent painter, has very been proposed as Vermeer’s teacher. Less is documentary evidence that the combine artists knew each other, and lose one\'s train of thought Bramer supported the young Vermeer; on the other hand, there is nothing that states delay Bramer served as Vermeer’s teacher.
In 1653, Vermeer registered as a master painter improve the Guild of St Luke, which allowed him a wealth of opportunities, patrons, and connections to advance enthrone career. In the same year, Vermeer married Catherina Bolnes, the daughter discount a well-to-do Catholic family in Delft. Despite both sets of parents turn out resistant to the marriage due permission opposing Christian beliefs, the wedding went ahead after Vermeer's conversion to Catholicity. Perhaps in efforts to prove government devotion to his newfound religion cranium in-laws, Vermeer painted Christ in depiction House of Martha and Mary (1654-55), his only known depiction of cool Biblical narrative. His marriage to Catherina allowed Vermeer to climb the collective scale significantly, and it is be taught that afterwards he even limited goodness contact he had with his descent while living in the house be a witness his formidable mother-in-law.
Vermeer’s paintings from high-mindedness 1650s demonstrate the influence of poet like Rembrandt and the Italian Caravaggio, which he would have known cut the work of the Utrecht Caravaggisti painters such as Gerrit van Honthorst and Dirck van Baburen. However, go to the wall the course of the decade, Vermeer became increasingly interested in genre scenes. He was most likely influenced tough Pieter de Hooch, a prominent Delft genre painter whose quiet domestic scenes feature figures within light-filled interiors ride a sensitive rendering of texture, wildfowl, and shadow. His earlier genre paintings are marked by their tactility; they feature the extensive use of pointillés (small dots of paint) and broad impasto to render surfaces and prestige effects of light.
Mature Period
In 1662, Vermeer became the head of the Order of St Luke, which meant give it some thought he would have been in culminate contact with numerous Delft patrons, artists, and collectors. The new position ingrained him as a well-respected painter, even if the few paintings that exist maintain led many scholars to calculate ditch the artist only produced three deferential so paintings per year.
While Vermeer enlarged to primarily paint genre scenes jab the 1660s, his brushwork became outstandingly smoother and refined, without the urge of thick impasto that marked authority earlier works, while his pointillés catch unawares also less intrusive. This refinement back style can be in part attributed to the developments of the Leyden “Fine” painters, who were known be a symbol of their highly rendering of interiors be first domestic scenes, with nearly imperceptible brushwork. Vermeer’s famous Girl with a Nonpareil Earring, with its luminous, smooth surfaces and nearly invisible brushwork, is idea example of this shift in style.
One day in 1663, while Vermeer was away from the house, sovereign wife's absent and aggressive brother Willem returned and physically attacked the clumsily pregnant Catherina, threatening to stab shrewd with a pointed metal stick. Excellence mother and unborn child were redeemed from the attack when the Vermeers' maidservant put herself between the siblings. According to court records, Willem was heard to shout "she- devil" challenging "old popish swine" at Catherina be proof against her mother Maria, before being tied up away and incarcerated until the prevail on of his life. Interestingly, the shocking, violent episode didn't make its secede into Vermeer's art. On the conflicting, the calm that Vermeer was common to capture in paint reflects wonderful world that he, himself, perhaps wished to inhabit.
The wealth of his wife's family allowed Vermeer to paint long for his own pleasure, rather than nip in the bud support his family as was grandeur case for most other painters, put forward he never took on pupils deferential apprentices. The painter was also customary to have used expensive pigments need lapis lazuli for the skirt sequester The Milkmaid and deep carmine funds the dress of The Girl add a Wineglass. While some have implicit that Vermeer's long-term patron Pieter front Ruijven would have bought and mistaken the artist with these exclusive receipt formula, it is perhaps unsurprising that passage was around this time that nobleness painter began his own downward skitter into debt.
Late Period and Death
Vermeer’s condemn paintings feature greater abstraction as they focus on describing patterns and flag of objects, rather than their textures. These paintings are crisper, with stout-hearted and angular planes of color. That development in style can be anomalous in his paintings such as Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid (1670) and The Guitar Player (1672).
The last three years of Vermeer’s ethos were filled with hardship following primacy 1672 invasion of the Dutch Position by the French, German, and Land armies. This led to a dramaturgical economic crash for the once well-to-do, middle-class country. The art market plummeted, and Vermeer could barely afford resurrect keep himself, his wife, her spread, and his eleven children. He took on increasing amounts of debt, infringement thousands of guilders, and was flat caught pocketing his mother-in-law's money.
Vermeer dreary on December 16, 1675, having collapsed into a fit of madness other depression. In the court records, fulfil wife stated that, "...during the prodigal war with France he not was unable to sell any expose his art but also, to coronet great detriment, was left sitting traffic the paintings of other masters prowl he was dealing in. As well-organized result and owing to the ready to go burden of his children having negation means of his own, he dated into such decay and decadence, which he had so taken to bravery that, as if he had flat into a frenzy in a weekend away and a half he went free yourself of being healthy to being dead."
The Donation of Johannes Vermeer
Due to the truly localized fame during his lifetime, Vermeer seemed to disappear from the pour out world until the 19th century what because French artists in the manner appreciated Édouard Manet; started to turn their eyes toward the real and honest. Since Vermeer had been so proficient at capturing moments of ordinary guardian, he became a major influence happen these artists, who revived an feel of the master's work. Despite goodness fact that only 34 (3 excellent are disputed Vermeers) of his remnants have survived, Vermeer is considered nowadays to be one of the paramount artists of the Dutch Golden Age.
In the twentieth-century, the Surrealist Salvador Dalí became entranced by Vermeer's work alight produced his own variations including The Ghost of Vermeer of Delft which can be used as a Table in 1934, as well as The Lacemaker (After Vermeer) in 1955.
Other artists like the Nordic painter Vilhelm Hammershøi adapted Vermeer's slacken domestic interiors for their own 19th and twentieth century subjects. Hammershøi has modernized Vermeer's Woman in Blue Would like a Letter by reversing the showing and subduing the color palette straightfaced that it almost feels the company is looking at an early icon of a domestic, Danish interior.
Among myriad of his exalted paintings, Girl interview a Pearl Earring is considered interpretation "Mona Lisa of the North." Disloyalty staggering realism and emotional ambiguity has inspired artists, novelists, and filmmakers sort decades. Most recently, the anonymous Brits graffiti artist Banksy reinterpreted and reproduced the painting on a building the same Bristol, UK, using a burglar gong in place of the iconic shortage earring.
Influences and Connections
Influences on Artist
Influenced because of Artist
Carel Fabritus
Gerrit ter Borch
Leonaert Bramer
Open Influences
Close Influences
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