Art Review

Chasing Vermeer

Vermeer Bio Vermeer, Jan or Johannes

Vermeer, Jan or Johannes 1632–75, was a Dutch genre and landscape painter. He was born in Delft, where he spent his entire life. He was also known as Vermeer of Delft and as Jan or Johannes van der Meer. He enjoyed only slight recognition during his short life, and his work was forgotten or confused with that of others during the following century. Today he is ranked among the greatest Dutch masters and considered one of the foremost of all colorists. His most frequent subjects were intimate interiors, often with the solitary figure of a woman. Although his paintings are modest in theme, they exhibit a profound serenity and a splendor of execution that are unsurpassed. No painter has depicted more exquisitely luminous blues and yellows, pearly highlights, and the subtle gradations of reflected light, all perfectly integrated within strictly ordered compositions.

Vermeer apparently produced only one or two pictures a year during his period of greatest activity. His career is a mystery to art historians because, although his work was of the finest quality, his output was too small to have been the sole support of his family of 11 children. Only about 35 paintings can be attributed to him with any certainty. Forgeries of Vermeer's work have been frequent, Hans van Meegeren's being the most successful.

Themes in art

As we look over the art of Vermeer you will find some things (themes) keep popping up over and over.

We will look over the pictures twice. The first time just for fun, the second time we will look for some of the themes. You can go here to see them through the first time.

Later we will compare two pieces of his artwork and label the themes we have found.

We will also color in our own Vermeers.

Allegory of Faith

The Art of Painting

The Astronomer

The Girl Sitting

Christ in the House of Mary

The Concert

Diana and Her Companions

The Geographer

Girl Interrupted in her Music

Girl With a Flute

Girl Reading a Letter

Girl with a Pearl Earing

Girl with a Red Hat

Girl with a Wine Glass

Glass of Wine

Guitar Player

The Lacemaker

Lady Seated

Lady Standing

A Lady Writing

The Milkmaid

Officer and Laughing Girl

View of Delft

Little Street

Woman in Blue Reading a Letter

Woman with a Pearl Necklace

What themes did you find?

With only 35 paintings (and we saw most of them here), they are easy to spot -- ladies, windows, tapestry table coverings, bowls of fruit, pearls, daily life. You can even find the same tapestry or same chair or window used in many paintings.

Compare these two works

The Geographer The Lady Writing

Check out these pictures

Check out these pictures

Now go make a Vermeer of your own!