Masters of Art: Vermeer

by Arthur K. Wheelock Jr.

Provides a comprehensive study of Vermeer's life and work, presents commentaries on his painting techniques, and examines each one of the Dutch artist's authenticated paintings

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

120 pages, Hardcover

First published June 6, 1988

About the author

Arthur K. Wheelock, Jr. is the curator of the Northern European Art Collection at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. and professor of art history at the University of Maryland. He has lectured widely and written extensively on Dutch and Flemish art.

Reviews

[Snehal Bhagat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contains reproductions of all the paintings of the Dutch master, accompanied by commentaries. Also has a introductory section on the artist's life and times.

If we do not know much about Vermeer, it is likely because he never had any students and nor did he attain great success during his own life-time. If anything, things seem to have got worse as he grew older and it appears that towards the end he worked in relative obscurity, lived in penury, and died in debt. Not an uncommon story in the art world of course, where dying seems to be a necessary prerequisite to enhance the value of an artist's work. His subsequent fame however is well-deserved, for limited as his oeuvre was, it is extremely impressive, particularly his early work, which is breathtakingly beautiful art.