Best Artwork by Jan Vermeer

Johannes Vermeer, or Jan Vermeer, was a Dutch Baroque artist. He was known for his masterful handling and use of light in his paintings. He is one of the best artists of the Dutch Golden Age.

Christ in the House of Martha and Mary is a painting that was created in 1655. It is the artist’s biggest painting and one of the few with a religious theme. The tale of Christ visiting the two sisters Mary and Martha’s home dates back to the New Testament.

Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window is a painting that was completed between 1657 and 1659. The artwork depicts a young Dutch blonde girl standing by an open window, reading a letter. There is red drapery hanging over the top of the window glass, and a tasseled ochre drapery in the foreground right is partially closed. The color of the drape reflects the girl’s gown and the shades of the fruit in a bowl on the red-draped window.

Girl with a Pearl Earring was created in 1665 and became one of the most iconic portraits of all time. The oil-on-canvas depicts a young girl looking straight at the viewer and is wearing a large pearl earring. This painting is known for its realism and contrast between light and shadow. It is among the most famous Vermeer paintings.

The Art of Painting is known as an illusionistic masterpiece and is the most difficult artwork in terms of composition and iconography. The painting depicts an artist sitting at his easel painting a woman dressed in blue posing as a model in the artist’s studio. The woman is standing by a window, and a large map of the Low Countries can be seen on the wall behind her.

The Little Street is one of Vermeer’s few signed artworks, making it one of the most expensive paintings in existence. The painting depicts a little, quiet street similar to many such streets in Holland during this time period in the 1600s. It pays attention to detail, drawing the viewer’s attention to specific regions, like the left side and the narrow alleyway in the center. The walls, stones, and bricks are all covered with a deeper paint layer, which gives them an almost tactile quality. He used red ochre and madder lake to color the reddish-brown brick wall, then lead white and natural ultramarine to color the sky. Azurite combined with lead-tin-yellow is used to paint the green shutters and foliage.

The Milkmaid is an oil-on-canvas painting that depicts a milkmaid pouring milk from a jug into a bowl. The painting implies that the woman is preparing bread pudding, which would explain the milk and broken bread on the table. The painting has a good balance between light and shadow.

The Procuress is an oil-on-canvas created in 1656 when the artist was 24 years old. Rich blues and yellows highlight the subjects, enhancing their emotional expressions. The painting explores themes of seduction and commerce, common in 17th-century Dutch art. This painting is Vermeer’s first genre painting and depicts a scene of contemporary life, an image of mercenary love perhaps in a brothel.

The Wine Glass is an oil-on-canvas showing a woman sitting and drinking wine and a man standing. The artwork includes the conventions of genre painting of the Delft School developed by Pieter de Hooch in the late 1650s. In the painting, the figures are situated in a brightly lit and spacious interior, while its architectural space is highly defined. The figures are set in the middle ground rather than the more usual foreground.

View of Delft is an oil painting that depicts Vermeer’s hometown. It is one of his most well-known works of art. The painting shows a panoramic view of Delft, emphasizing the skyline and the interplay of light and shadow. Vermeer employs a soft, harmonious color scheme, primarily blues and yellows, which enhances the serene atmosphere.