Vermeer

Johannes Vermeer is the master of tranquillity. His intimate and introvert domestic scenes, with their persuasive illusionism and unique use of clear, colourful light, are counted among the most exquisite paintings ever made. His work has continued to fascinate new generations for centuries. With his world-famous pictures, such as The Milkmaid and Girl with a Pearl Earring, Vermeer has achieved legendary status.

In preparation for the Vermeer exhibition at the Rijksmuseum, an international team of Vermeer experts, under the direction of Pieter Roelofs and Gregor J.M. Weber, conducted extensive research into the life and art practice of the Delft painter. This has resulted in new insights about his social position, his household, his faith, his technique and the influence of his environment on his art. By connecting the latest knowledge about his personal life to his work, we now come closer to Vermeer than ever before.

This book, designed by Irma Boom, immerses the reader in the immensely varied pictorial world of the seventeenth-century Dutch master. All 37 of the works attributed to him are included here, and the extraordinary close-up details of these paintings afford us new opportunities to gaze in wonder at Vermeer's artistry.

Edited by Pieter Roelofs and Gregor J.M. Weber.
With contributions by Bart Cornelis, Bente Frissen, Sabine Pénot, Pieter Roelofs, Friederike Schütt, Christian Tico Seifert, Ariane van Suchtelen, Gregor J.M. Weber and Marjorie E. Wieseman.