Vermeer biography
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Johannes Vermeer, the second child of Reynier Jansz Vos (also known as Vermeer) (–) and Digna Baltens (–), was baptized in the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft on 31 October Reynier Jansz Vos initially earned a living as a weaver of a fine satin fabric called caffa.1 In addition, from he is mentioned as the innkeeper of De Vliegende Vos (The Flying Fox). He was also an art dealer, registering as such in the Delft Guild of Saint Luke in On 1 May , when Vermeer was nine-and-a-half years old, the family moved from the Voldersgracht to a house and inn called Mechelen, on the Marktveld, where Reynier Jansz Vos actively continued to buy and sell paintings. Following his father’s death in , Vermeer took over the business while his mother continued to run the inn.2 Digna Baltens tried to sell the property in , but when it failed to fetch the desired price, she put it up for rent. Vermeer inherited the inn after her death in , and he continued to rent it out.
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Johannes Vermeer (–)
With Rembrandt and Frans Hals, Vermeer ranks among the most admired of all Dutch artists, but he was much less well known in his own day and remained relatively obscure until the end of the nineteenth century. The main reason for this is that he produced a small number of pictures, perhaps about forty-five (of which thirty-six are known today), primarily for a small circle of patrons in Delft. Indeed, as much as half of Vermeer&#;s output was acquired by the local collector Pieter van Ruijven. Although Vermeer&#;s work was known to other connoisseurs in Delft and the neighboring court city of The Hague, and a few of his paintings sold to individuals farther afield (Antwerp and Amsterdam), most Dutch painters turned out hundreds of pictures for a much broader market. Adding to his image as an isolated figure are the fact that Vermeer&#;s teacher is unknown, and that he evidently had no pupils. However, the artist was a respected member of the painters&#; guild i
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Johannes Vermeer
Dutch painter (–)
"Vermeer" redirects here. For other uses, see Vermeer (disambiguation).
Johannes Vermeer (vər-MEER, vər-MAIR, Dutch:[joːˈɦɑnəsfərˈmeːr]; see below; also known as Jan Vermeer; October – 15 December ) was a Dutch painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life. He is considered one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age. During his lifetime, he was a moderately successful provincial genre painter, recognized in Delft and The Hague. He produced relatively few paintings, primarily earning his living as an art dealer. He was not wealthy; at his death, his wife was left in debt.[3]
Vermeer worked slowly and with great care, and frequently used very expensive pigments. He fryst vatten particularly renowned for making masterful use of light in his work.[4] "Almost all his paintings", Hans Koningsberger wrote, "are apparently set in two smallish rooms in his house in Delft; they show the sam