Today we know 37 Vermeer paintings which can be attributed to the Dutch artist. This is actually quite a few and means an average of 2-3 paintings per year during the career of Vermeer. As a comparison: Vincent Van Gogh left us not less than 864 paintings and over 1000 drawings in just 9 years. The not so lunatic Rembrandt still created some 350 paintings, 300 etchings and about a 1000 drawings in roughly 45 years of productivity. However, we do know from auction listings that Vermeer must have produce more paintings during his lifetime and during the 19th Century about 60 – 70 paintings were attributed to him. Yet, modern examination could not confirm Vermeer as their creator (some were even forged in the 20th century), thus, we are left with 37. As Vermeer did not use to date his paintings (but 3), we usually have to estimate their date of creation.
Vermeer’s work can be categorized broadly into historical paintings, cityscapes, genre works and allegories. Women play an important role as models and only two works are limited to the depiction of men.
Historical Paintings
The first paintings by Vermeer were historical. Historical meant back at those times also the depiction of Biblical or mythological subjects. The early paintings have been considerably larger in size than the later ones. It has been argued that Vermeer ultimately abandoned historical painting as the open environments of the scenery left him little opportunity to apply one of his main stylistic elements: a soft light, entering the window to accentuate the focal point of the painting.
Cityscapes
Vermeer left us with two townscapes, showing an exterior view of his home town Delft. In opposition to landscapes such works were usually commissioned and could charge higher prices. In both paintings Vermeer makes use of light and shadow to accentuate important parts of the view. He used a partly clouded sky in order to achieve this effect.
Genre Works
The majority of Vermeer’s paintings are genre works, which depict common people in their typical activity. Many of Vermeer’s genre paintings have also a moralizing component; others depict the sciences, a certain profession or an activity, often music. Women play a crucial role in this part of Vermeer’s work and are clearly overrepresented. The paintings are usually settled in a narrative context, yet the most famous work is special also in this regard: set against a dark background the portrait misses any context and does not provide a hint about the portrayed Girl with Pearl Earring.
Allegories
Two paintings are usually classified as allegories. Beside a complex settlement and high level of detail they feature also a rich and formalized symbolism. Moreover, it has been speculated that the Painter in his Studio is actually a self-portrait of Jan Vermeer, though the painter holds his back turned to the viewer. It would be the only self-portrait of the Dutch master who knew so well to portray other persons.
Drawings
There are no drawings which could be positively attributed to Vermeer. Many have concluded therefore, that Vermeer used to execute his paintings without study drawings. An argument, which could also be used to strengthen the notion, that Vermeer used the camera obscura instead. However, one drawing has been seriously being debated as Vermeer, but not without likewise seriously being challenged by other scholars.
Voyaging for Vermeer
Like most paintings, Vermeer’s artwork is best to be seen on display. A great collection of Vermeer travel ideas can be found at Cheapflights Canada: Voyaging for Vermeer, covering locations in both Europe and the US.
