Girl with a Pearl Earring

 The most well-known of Vermeer's works is Girl with a Pearl Earring. It is a "tronie," a painting of an imagined figure, rather than a portrait. Tronies often feature a specific kind or character, in this example a female dressed exotically with an oriental turban and a surrealistically big pearl dangling from her ear.

Light was Johannes Vermeer's specialty. The girl's gentle features and the glimmers of light on her moist lips in this photograph demonstrate this. Of course there is also the brilliant pearl.

One of the most well-known Dutch artists of the 17th century was Johannes Vermeer. He is well known for his exquisitely lit intimate domestic scenes. Other Vermeer works, like the well-known Girl with a Pearl Earring and View of Delft, are notable for their ability to evoke a serene, almost timeless ambiance.

Vermeer never finished many paintings because he always took his time with each one. Only 36 of his works are known to exist. Vermeer also worked as an art appraiser and trader.

Inside of Delft

All of Vermeer's life, he resided and worked in Delft. He might have had training from Leonaert Bramer or Carel Fabritius (1622–1654), two other Delft artists (1596-1674). Vermeer was a Protestant, but in 1653 he wed Catharina Bolnes, a wealthy Catholic, and the two had fourteen children together. Maria Thins, Catharina's mother, housed the entire family.

Vermeer's name was practically lost after his passing. People mistook his works for those of other, better-known artists for a long time, such Pieter de Hooch (1629-1684). The 19th century saw the "rediscovery" of Vermeer, nevertheless. He was dubbed a genius by French art critic Théophile Thoré (1807–1869), who also ensured that he garnered widespread worldwide recognition, as he continues to do today.

Historical artwork

Around 1654, Vermeer began to make a living as a painter. His initial creations were historical paintings, and images of biblical and mythological settings. They were influenced by the works of Amsterdam and Utrecht artists. They were represented in Vermeer's mother-in-modest-law's collection of artwork, where he could see them every day.

History paintings need a lot of information and thought. Because they merely mimicked real life, they were consequently regarded as being more stunning than landscapes, portraits, and still lifes.

Ultramarine

Intense blue dominates Vermeer's works of art. He coloured it using ultramarine, a unique pigment. It was constructed of the Afghanistan-sourced semi-precious stone lapis lazuli, which contains the vivid blue mineral lazurite.

Because ultramarine was so uncommon, it was the most expensive pigment available. Even more costly than gold, it was. Ultramarine was frequently employed by Vermeer in his paintings, not only in the clothing but also in less obvious areas like the shadows. How he could afford it remains a mystery.