DAC Collection Artist Information
Jan Vermeer
Dutch painter
Brief biography, in most instances from the Union List of Artist Names® Online:
Vermeer is considered one of the principal Dutch genre painters of the 17th century. His work displays an unprecedented level of mastery in its illusion of reality, and his figures with their calm, solemn air, which add a level of mystery to his paintings. A poem written in 1667, which alludes to the explosion of the Delft municipal arsenal in 1654, led to the misleading notion that Vermeer was the student of Carel Fabritius, the foremost painter of Delft who died in the same explosion. Leonard Bramer, who was also a prominent painter in Delft and friend of Vermeer's family, could also have been his teacher, although his work consists of mostly large easel paintings executed in the dark style of Carravaggio. Despite the mastery of Vermeer's work, it did not have lasting effect on other artists, as he had no known pupils.
Artist ID number in the Union List of Artist Names®: ULAN 500032927.
The ULAN link above leads to a cataloging authority record at the Getty Research Institute.
Objects related to Jan Vermeer:
| Timothy Cole after Jan Vermeer | Lady Weighing Pearls, 1922 | Wood engraving on tissue paper |
| Timothy Cole after Jan Vermeer | The Pearl Necklace, 1915 | Wood engraving on tissue paper with corners glued down on heavyweight wove paper |
| Timothy Cole after Jan Vermeer | Young Woman with a Water Jug, 1912 | Wood engraving on heavyweight wove paper |
| Henry Wolf after Jan Vermeer | Lady with a Lute, 1909 | Wood engraving on tissue paper with four corners glued down on board |
| Timothy Cole after Jan Vermeer | The Pearl Necklace, 1916 | Wood engraving on tissue paper |
ULAN biographical content is displayed with permission of the Getty Research Institute. Some ULAN content in some DAC artist records has been lightly edited. Content from the Getty Research Institute is © 2017 The J. Paul Getty Trust. All rights reserved.
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