Vermeer: A View of Delft

Vermeer's paintings

In 1653, the artist Johannes Vermeer, the twenty-one-year-old son of an innkeeper, registered as a master painter with the city's Guild. He went on to enjoy a respectable local reputation as a painter until his death in 1675. It was not until the mid-nineteenth century, however, that his genius was widely appreciated. Today, Vermeer's thirty-five paintings are regarded as masterpieces.

Intriguing portrait of the artist and Delft

In Vermeer a View of Delft, Anthony Bailey presents an intriguing portrait of Johannes Vermeer's life and character, long lost in history. Bailey re-creates the atmosphere of the times, introduces Johannes Vermeer's colleagues, portrays his domestic life in vibrant detail; he also sheds light on the science and artistry behind the glorious, almost mystical, paintings. Meticulously researched and elegantly written, Johannes Vermeer will stand as the classic work on Vermeer for years to come.

Vermeer in Delft

Vermeer spent his entire life in the town of Delft. Vermeer was a moderately successful provincial painter in his lifetime. He seems to have never been particularly wealthy, perhaps due to the fact that he produced relatively few paintings. Relatively little is known about Vermeer's life. The only sources of information are some registers, a few official documents and comments by other artists.
Virtually forgotten for nearly two hundred years, in 1866 the art critic Thoré Bürger published an essay attributing 66 pictures to him. Only 34 paintings are firmly attributed to him today. Since that time the reputation of Johannes Vermeer has grown astronomically, and he is now acknowledged as one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age.

Vermeer: A View of Delft by Anthony Bailey

Publisher: Owl Books
ISBN: 0805069305

More information

Arts Main Page
Johannes Vermeer and the Delft School