Johannes Vermeer biography in Biographies from the artzine on artrepublic.com

Vermeer transforms modest domestic interiors into monumental scenes imbued with moral significance. The eye is drawn into the picture by the careful placing of objects and a clearly defined architectural space. Figures pursue tranquil occupations, and the symbolic meaning of the scene is sometimes revealed through a painting within the painting. Vermeer’s works were rediscovered at the end of the 19th century, bringing him to wider attention and claiming his place as of the great Dutch masters.

Vermeer was born in Delft in 1632. His earliest works are influenced by Caravaggio's followers in Utrecht, such as Hendrik ter Brugghen. Vermeer may have gained an interest in optical phenomena and the effects of the Camera Obscurer from Carel Fabritius. Vermeer married in 1653, and in the same year he became a master in the Delft painters' guild. By 1672 he was in financial trouble and he died insolvent in 1675, leaving his wife and many children destitute.