Jan Vermeer Delft is a Dutch painter, master of landscape and genre painting. The most mysterious and inexplicable artist of the 17th century, whose name is on a par with Rembrandt, Hals and de Hooch. He is often compared to Leonardo da Vinci, for the small number of works and the long time it takes to create his paintings. No other painter has asserted his genius in such a small number of works.
Brief information about Vermeer
Very little information has come down to us about the artist's life. It is known that Jan Vermeer was born on December 31, 1632 in the city of Delft (South Holland). His father was an entrepreneur and merchant. He maintained a fashionable inn, traded in silk fabrics, art and antiques. The surname Vermeer is a nickname, translated from Dutch it means "to succeed", "to multiply". Other spellings of the painter's name are Johannis van der Meer, Johannis ver Meer. Later, the most common version of the name of the great artist was Vermeer of Delft.
Until today, it has not been established with certainty who Vermeer's teacher was, but it is known that the Dutch artist Karel Fabricius, who also lived and worked in Delft, had a great influence on his work.
In 1653 Jan Vermeer married Katharina Bolnes. In twenty years of marriage, they had 15 children, four of whom died in infancy. Vermeer lived a very short life. In 1675, he died of a heart attack at the age of 43. He left a lot of debts to his large family. After the death of the painter, his widow abandoned the inheritance in favor of creditors.
Vermeer's artistic technique
In his works, Vermeer most often depicted scenes of everyday life, as well as middle-class women and their servants. The manner in which the artist's paintings were painted was completely unique. Jan Vermeer did not mix paints, but applied each stroke separately. Then these separate segments of paints were put together into a complete piece. He painted with such thin dotted strokes that they can only be viewed with a magnifying glass. Two centuries later, pointillist artists (Georges Seurat, Paul Signac, Henri Martin) began to use this technique. At the end of the 17th century, when the auction of his works took place, Vermeer had only 21 works on his account. Art critics during the XIX-XX centuries were actively looking for his works. Nowadays, there are 36 or 39 canvases of the painter (according to various sources). For 20 years of his creative life, he wrote about 40 works. Due to the slow manner of writing, the artist had few orders. That is why it is believed that Vermeer did not make money with his work. The continuation of his father's business ensured the economic well-being of his family.
Below are descriptions of the most significant paintings by Jan Vermeer, the approximate years of their creation and their current location.
View of Delft
(circa 1660-1661, Mauritshuis, The Hague)
In View of Delft, Vermeer depicted a beautiful panoramic landscape of his hometown from the water. From the wide mouth of the river, the high stone walls of Delft seem to grow. Water was of great importance to the Dutch at that time, it was considered the main transport artery, contributing to commercial prosperity. On the canvas, one can clearly see the arches carved into the walls, through which ships with various cargoes entered the city. The blue sky with white fluffy clouds lends a special poetry to this work.
Thrush
(circa 1660, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam)
In this work, the artist depicted a female image in a fairly ordinary atmosphere. A puffy and burly maid pouring milk from a jug, whom Vermeer clearly admires. In all the appearance of a woman, modesty, chastity and focus on the process are read. Yellow and bright blue were clearly favorites in the painter's color palette. In the painting, these two colors contrast favorably with the white color of the milk, the wall and the woman's cap.
Woman holding scales
(circa 1663-1664, National Gallery of Art, Washington)
This work has an allegorical reading that can be interpreted in different ways. It depicts a woman expecting a baby. She is holding an empty scale above the table. On the blue drapery is an open jewelry box. Vermeer places the image of a young woman against the background of a painting depicting the Last Judgment, which is administered by Christ. Jesus Christ weighs the sins and virtues of sinners and the righteous, and a woman weighs pearls, sorting pearls. But, despite the fact that the whole room is immersed in darkness, it is illuminated by divine light. This bright ray of light sounds like a blessing of Christ, as she has to give life to another creature. Also, the picture of the Last Judgment reminds us of earthly vanity and the sterility of worldly goods. Many art critics believe that the artist's wife, Katharina Vermeer, posed for this picture.
Lacemaker
(circa 1669-1670, Louvre, Paris)
The process of women's labor undeniably inspires Vermeer. This painting depicts a girl weaving delicate and delicate lace. She is very focused on her handicrafts. All the details of this process are so elaborately depicted by the artist that we can see not only a pillow for needles, bobbins, a book, but also distinguish the texture of thin threads in the foreground.
A girl reading a letter by an open window
(circa 1657, Gallery of Old Masters, Dresden)
This painting is considered one of the most mysterious among the artist's works. A lot of different stories and conjectures have been written about her. The canvas depicts a girl's room. She drew back the curtain separating the bedroom from the common room. In the open window, we see the reflection of her face on the glass, a slightly crumpled bedspread on the bed and a dish of fruit. In the foreground is a peach that is broken in half. Leisure art critics consider this to be a symbol of the fact that the girl is pregnant, since the peach seed symbolizes the embryo. The girl reads a letter, possibly an answer from her lover. But we can't tell from her face whether she read the good news in the letter or not. This is the whole mystery and touching of this work.
Interrupted Music Lesson
(circa 1660-1661, Frick Collection, New York)
The artist was very supportive of love relationships, as evidenced by many of his works. The painting Interrupted Music Lesson is no exception. In the picture we see a music teacher and a young girl. Apparently, someone entered and they were interrupted, so the girl looks at the viewer with fear. Obviously, this lesson hides their sympathy for each other. Some inconspicuous details tell us about it. This is the girl's red blouse, a glass of wine on the table, and a picture of Cupid hanging in the background.
Girl with a Pearl Earring
(circa 1665-1667, Mauritshuis Royal Gallery, The Hague)
This most famous portrait of the master won the hearts of all art connoisseurs. The dark background of the picture concentrates all the viewer's attention on the girl's velvety face, which seems to glow from the depths of the space created by Vermeer. She turns her face towards us, and the incident light flashes in her eyes, slides down to her lower lip, leaving a glint on her and concentrating in a pearl earring. The ocher color of her dress with a white collar is in perfect harmony with the blue turban on her head. The integrity of the composition and color, the artist's amazing transfer of peace of mind in the face of the girl, prompts to consider this picture one of the best works of Vermeer.
There is no doubt that Jan Vermeer is considered a master of color, texture and light. The artist is also called the "Delft Sphinx". After all, the story of his life will remain a mystery to us. Only his canvases give us the opportunity to open the veil of the secrets of his personality.
