#14 - Girl with a Pearl Earring by Jan Vermeer
#14 – Biographical Sketch of Jan Vermeer
Johannes Vermeer or Jan Vermeer (1632 - 1675) was a Dutch painter, who lived and
worked in Delft, a city of southwest Netherlands noted for its fine pottery. Alongside
Rembrandt, Vermeer is the best known painter of the Dutch Golden Age, which was a period
in Dutch history, roughly spanning the 17th century, in which Dutch trade, science, and art
were among the most acclaimed in the world. Vermeer's paintings are admired for their
transparent colors, careful composition, and brilliant use of light.
Although his choice of subject matter, colors, and composition was similar to that of
certain contemporaries, Vermeer achieved a timeless, monumental quality in his paintings that
places it on a level all its own. His total production was extremely small by the standards of
the time, perhaps 50 paintings in all, of which approximately 35 have survived. His current
reputation is a recent phenomenon; all but forgotten, he was "rediscovered" by the French
writer, critic, and activist Thore-Burger in the mid-19th Century, and his stature has been on
the ascent ever since.
We know relatively little about Vermeer's life, except for some basic facts provided by
records and legal documents. He was born the son of an innkeeper in Delft in 1632. In 1653, at
the age of twenty-one, Vermeer converted to Catholicism and married a Catholic woman,
Catharina Bolnes, who came from a more prosperous bourgeois family. Her bourgeois family
were members of the middle class whose social opinions are believed to be determined mainly
by concern for property values and conventional respectability.
Catholics were an unpopular religious minority in Protestant Holland, and Vermeer and
his wife moved into the house of his mother-in-law, Maria Thyns, in the "Papist Corner" of the
town where Catholics congregated. Vermeer spent the rest of his life in his mother-in-law's
house, and had eleven surviving children with Catherina (four others died in infancy). That
same year, he was admitted to the Guild of St. Luke, the painters' guild, which meant he was
recognized as a professional artist, although he was not able to pay his full membership dues
until 1656.
By 1657 Vermeer had a wealthy patron, Pieter Claesz van Ruijven, who purchased many
of his paintings. Although Vermeer seems to have painted relatively few works, they sold for
high prices. He supplemented his income by working as an art-dealer selling the works of
other artists, and was assisted by support from his mother-in-law. In 1662 he was elected one
of the headmen of the Guild of St. Luke, as he was for a second time in 1670, a sign of success
and respectability.
However, Vermeer's income dropped greatly after 1672, when a French invasion of
Holland caused a general economic downturn and saw demand for luxury items like paintings
collapse. With a large family to support, Vermeer was forced to take out a considerable loan in
1675. He died that same year at the age of forty-three.
#14 – Additional Works by Jan Vermeer
Soldier and a Laughing Girl. c.1658. Oil on canvas. The Frick Collection, New York
The Art of Painting. c.1666-1673. Oil on canvas. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
The Geographer. c.1668-1669. Oil on canvas. Stadelsches Kunstinnstitut, Frankfurt, Germany
The Astronomer. c.1668. Oil on canvas. Louvre, Paris, France
Allegory of Faith. c.1671-1674. Oil on canvas. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
#14 – Questions about Jan Vermeer
1) What is the meaning of bourgeois?
a) the family name of Vermeer's wife
b) the act of creating art
c) members of the lower class who labored as servants
d) members of the middle class whose social opinions are believed to be determined by conventional
respectability
2) Why do you think Vermeer converted to Catholicism?
a) he married a Catholic woman
b) he received an art commission from the pope
c) his mother had him baptized
d) he lost faith in his own religion
3) Which statement best describes the Dutch Golden Age?
a) a period in Dutch history, roughly spanning the 12th century, when golden wheat crops covered
the countryside
b) a period in Dutch history, roughly spanning the 15th century, when gold was mined in the Dutch
mountains
c) a period in Dutch history, in which Dutch trade, science, and art were the most acclaimed in the
world
d) a period in Dutch history, roughly spanning the 13th century, the Dutch traded for gold
4) Based on the French invasion of Holland, which of these conclusions is accurate?
a) the Dutch assimilated French customs
b) demand for luxury items, like paintings, collapse
c) WWII was started
d) demand for luxury items soared for the French aristocracy
5) Which of the following is a reason for Vermeer working as an art-dealer selling the works of
other artists?
a) he wanted to help out his fellow artists
b) to supplement his income
c) his wife wanted a large, prominent collection for their home
d) to remove his competition from the marketplace