Born circa October 31st in 1632 in Delft, Netherlands to Digna Baltens and Reynier Jansz Vermeer, Johannes "Jan" Vermeer has a mysterious past. Because not much is known about Vermeer's early personal life, his story begins when he inherits his father's family art business in 1652. This is most likely the root of his later interest in art and painting. One year later, Vermeer married Catholic girl Catharina Bolenes, and the new couple moved in with her mother, where Vermeer resided for the remainder of his life. Catharina gave birth to 15 children, although 4 died before they were even baptized.

 

That same year, Vermeer became a member of the Guild of Saint Luke, a painter's trade association. Although there are many speculations as to where or to whom Vermeer apprenticed as an artist, such as painter Carel Fabritius and Delft painter Leonard Bramer, it is more than likely that he was mainly self-taught. Nonetheless, this did not mean that he was not influenced by any popular painters of his time; the influences of artists from Amsterdam and Utrecht in his early history works are extremely apparent. It was most logical for Vermeer to initially aspire to be a history painter, due to the genre's popularity and esteem it achieved during this time. Even so, his expert application of light and shadow in these early works foreshadow his techniques in later years.

 

The majority of Vermeer's masterworks were created in his middle period, which is considered the prime of his career. During this time, from around 1657-67, he focused on genre paintings; namely, domestic scenes featuring his signature realistic depictions of figures, objects and light. He enjoyed modest success during this time within his home community in Delft, and although he worked slowly, Vermeer was elected head of the guild in 1662 - and again in 1663, 1670 and 1671.

 

In 1672, the "Year of Disaster" took over the Netherlands, an economic depression that proceeded the Franco-Dutch War. During this war and the collapse of the art market that followed it, Vermeer's work as both a painter and art dealer began to disintegrate. According to his wife, it was because of this economic decay that caused him to fall into a frenzied and stressful fit, seemingly causing his death in December 1675.