Johannes Vermeer
1632-1675 · Dutch (Delft) · Dutch Golden Age
Known for: Master of luminous domestic scenes who captured light on surfaces with unmatched poetry
Vermeer painted only about 35 known works - roughly two per year - but each captures light, texture, and quiet human moments with a perfection that has never been equaled. Girl with a Pearl Earring and The Milkmaid are among the most beloved paintings in the world.
He lived his entire life in Delft, ran an art-dealing business, fathered 15 children, and died in debt at 43 during economic collapse from the French invasion. He was virtually forgotten for two centuries before being rediscovered in the 1860s.
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