The Artist Johannes Vermeer

The artist Johannes Vermeer was not very well known in his lifetime. Not much is known about his training nor do we know much about the artists he interacted with throughout his professional career. As a result, we see Vermeer’s unique as one completely his own. Throughout his oeuvre, he has developed many patterns in his compositions and subject matter. The tools and motifs he used can be found and analyzed in many of this works by contemporary scholars. However, scholars seem less willing to delve into a work that can’t be seen in person. One of his paintings has been missing from recent discourse, but it has also been missing from the world for the past 20 years.
The Concert by Johannes Vermeer features three musicians working hard on their piece. Their unwavering focus is in stark contrast with the paintings hanging on the walls of this interior space created by the artist. Stolen from its frame in 1990, the work has …show more content…
Raised as a protestant in the city of Delft, Vermeer would have been exposed to the artistic styles and practices of his region. With the Protestant Reformation, a raise in demand for non-religious works inspired the development of Dutch genre paintings. These works often featured interior and domestic scenes from peasants or the wealthy elite. These scenes were popular for their moral messages that didn’t necessarily rely on Christian iconography. It is also important to note that a good number of Catholics lived in Delft, including the family Vermeer would marry into. Shortly before his marriage to Catharina Bolnes Vermeer converted to Catholicism. Scholars debate whether this decision was made to appease her family or not. However, either way, this transition would inspire many of his early works, which featured more religious connotations than the domestic interiors he would be known for later on in his