Vermeer: A View of Delft

Front Cover
Macmillan, 2002 - Art - 272 pages
In 1653, the artist Johannes Vermeer, the twenty-one-year-old son of an innkeeper, registered as a master painter with the city's Guild. He went on to enjoy a respectable local reputation as a painter until his death in 1675; it was not until the mid-nineteenth century, however, that his genius was widely appreciated. Today, Vermeer's thirty-five paintings are regarded as masterpieces.

In Vermeer, Anthony Bailey presents an intriguing portrait of Vermeer's life and character, long lost in history. Bailey re-creates the atmosphere of the times, introduces Vermeer's colleagues, portrays his domestic life in vibrant detail; he also sheds light on the science and artistry behind the glorious, almost mystical, paintings. Meticulously researched and elegantly written, Vermeer will stand as the classic work on Vermeer for years to come.
 

Contents

The World Turned UpsideDown
1
A Visit to the Tomb
17
Calling on Vermeer
34
Burdens of the House
57
The Way of St Luke
76
Little Castles
100
A Houseful of Women
113
The Art of Painting
134
Delft Blue
173
The Years of the French
184
Diaspora
205
Every Inch a Vermeer
222
Swanns Essay
243
A View of Delft
252
Bibliography
257
Index
263

The Geographer the Astronomer and the LensMaker
157

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About the author (2002)

Anthony Bailey was a writer for "The New Yorker" for thirty-five years and has been called "one of the best descriptive writers of his generation" (John Russell, "The New York Times"). His twenty-one books include the novel "Major Andre," two acclaimed memoirs, two books on Rembrandt, and most recently, "Standing in the Sun," a biography of J. M. W. Turner. He lives in Greenwich, England.

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