Johannes Vermeer

Born just two years after Boston was settled by British colonists, Johannes Vermeer is considered to be one of the most influential artists in the world. He is especially known for his use of light in paintings. One of his 36 known remaining paintings was stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990. The case is still unsolved, and there is a $10 million dollar reward if you crack the case! WBUR created a podcast about the heist called Last Seen, an interesting listen to share with your family.

The documentary Tim's Vermeer is about a man who spent five years trying to recreate a Vermeer painting. He researched possible techniques that Vermeer may have used in the 1600s to paint such realistic paintings. It's fascinating to see how the artist may have used science to create these beautiful works of art.

The largest collection of Vermeer paintings is in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam - they have four paintings. In 2015, the MFA hosted an exhibit that featured two Vermeer paintings. You can view more of his paintings on Google Arts & Culture.

On of my favorite books, Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett is about a Vermeer painting. It's a great mystery based on the painting A Lady Writing that I highly recommend reading! You can view the painting at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.