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At about 1650, the premier painter in Delft was Carel Fabritius who painted the Goldfinch. Vermeer, a younger man, was influenced by his work and influenced Fabritius in turn. When Fabritius died as a result of the disastrous explosion of the city's munition store in 1654, Vermeer assumed the position of Delft's most famous painter. However, he was already a well-known painter in 1654 so from a review of the dates of his paintings below, two puzzles emerge. First, surely his reputatiuon was not based on just the two paintings that may have preceeded the 1654 explosion? and, second, was his abrupt change of topic from the mythical and religious to every day life starting with the procuress, anything to do with the explosion? Academia and the experts imply no connection so despite the idea the change of subject may well have been driven by the need to sell pictures and Vermeer's clientelle were now private persons. At this time, with the Reformation overtaking Catholicism in the Netherlands, the Church was no longer a customer. Now to Vermeer's known works: |
Links to all of his 36 paintings presented in chronological order
see the newly cleaned Procuress in fine detail -- there are 6 pages behind the thumbnail
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| Diana & her Companions 1653 - 1656 |
Christ in the House of Martha and Mary 1654 - 1656 |
The Procuress 1656 |
A Maid Asleep 1656 - 1657 |
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| A Girl reading a letter by an open Window 1657 - 1659 |
The Little Street 1657 - 1661 |
Officer and Laughing Girl 1655 - 1660 |
The MilkMaid 1658 - 1661 |
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The Glass of Wine 1656 - 1661 |
A Girl with a Glass of Wine 1659 -1660 |
Girl Interrupted in her Music 1658 - 1661 |
View of Delft 1660 - 1661 |
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The Music Lesson 1662 - 1664 |
Woman in Blue reading a Letter 1662 - 1665 |
Woman holding a Balance 1662 - 1665 |
Young Woman with a Water Pitcher 1662 - 1665 |
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Woman with a Lute 1662 - 1664 |
Woman with a Pearl Necklace 1662 - 1665 |
A Lady Writing 1665 - 1666 |
Girl with a Red Hat (attributed) 1665 - 1666 |
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Girl with a Flute (attributed) 1665 - 1670 |
The Girl with a Pearl Earring 1665 - 1667 |
The Concert 1664 - 1667 |
The Art of Painting 1662 - 1668 |
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Study of a Young Woman 1665 - 1674 |
Mistress and Maid 1666 - 1667 |
The Astronomer 1668 |
The Geographer 1668 - 1669 |
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The Lacemaker 1669 - 1671 |
The Love Letter 1667 - 1670 |
1The Guitar Player 1669 - 1672 |
Lady writing a letter with her Maid 1670 - 167 |
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Allegory of Faith 1671 - 1674 |
A Lady standing at a Virginal 1670 - 1673 |
A Lady seated at a Virginal 1670 - 1675 |
A Young Woman seated at the Virginals 1670 |
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In
the winter of 1995, 22 of Vermeer's 36 paintings were gathered together
for display at the National Gallery in Washington, DC. After several
months they were similarly displayed in the Hague. |
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St. Praxedis (probably not by Vermeer) |
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Vermeer was not alone the Delft school -- he was a development of a number of painters that came before. The following article by Roberta Smith, introducing a show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art gives a good indication of the life and artistic times in which Vermeer worked, and the names of painters with whom Vermeer will be irrevocably connected. Each is worth looking for. Download Roberta Smith's New York Times article by clicking here. However, take care for the article misnames Vermeer's Little Street and substitutes the Courtyard of a House in Delft by Pieter de Hooch. The two paintings were painted in the same year and have some similarities in vision.
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