1632-1675. Dutch painter, active in Delft.
Most of his pictures are genre scenes, with a
limpid clarity and distinct air of stillness,
and a harmonious palette often focusing on
yellow and blue. He frequently depicted
solitary women in domestic settings, as in
The Lacemaker (Louvre, Paris). Vermeer is
thought to have spent his whole life in
Delft. There are only 35 paintings ascribed
to him. His work fell into obscurity until
the mid- to late 19th century, but he is now
ranked as one of the greatest Dutch artists.
In addition to genre scenes, his work
comprises one religious painting, a few
portraits, and two townscapes, of which the
fresh and naturalistic View of Delft about
1660 (Mauritshuis, The Hague) triggered the
revival of interest in Vermeer. The Artist's
Studio, about 1665-70 (Kunsthistorisches
Museum, Vienna), is one of his most elaborate
compositions; the subject appears to be
allegorical, but the exact meaning remains a
mystery.