Examines the life and art of 17th century Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. Includes comments and analyses from scholars and museum personnel. Features examples of Vermeer's works.

An overview of the life and work of the seventeenth-century Dutch painter, famous for creating realistic scenes of everyday life.

"Vermeer's subjects focus on daily domestic activities, from letter writing to music playing to preparations in the kitchen. The scenes astound with their meticulous detail, majestic planes of light, and with Vermeer's extraordinary ability to draw out narrative intrigues. In such beloved paintings as Lady Standing at a Virginal, A Lady Writing a Letter with Her Maid and, most famously, the enigmatic, wide-eyed, and enchanting Girl with a Pearl Earring,...

"In his lifetime, the fame of Johannes Vermeer (1632 1675) barely extended beyond his native Delft and a small circle of patrons. After his death, his name was largely forgotten, with works outside of Holland often misattributed to other artists. It was not until the mid-19th century that Vermeer came to the attention of the international art world, which suddenly looked upon his narrative minutiae, meticulous textural detail, and majestic planes...