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Moeka Iwamoto

Vermeer was born in Delft, the Netherlands, in 1632 and died there in 1675. He was one of the

painters active in the Dutch "Golden Age" of the 17th century. He mainly painted landscapes,

portraits and interior scenes. His paintings have a serene and peaceful atmosphere. His work "Girl

with a Pearl Earring” is recognized one of his masterpieces. It has become well known to many

people. The features of the work is that the girl is wearing a yellow jacket and her face is shining. It

is also known that Vermeer was a Catholic as a child, and the curtains in the background of this

painting are said to have been inspired by the curtains used at Catholic festivals. The number of

paintings he produced is limited. it’s only 36 works extant. I was surprised this fact. I thought there

were so many his extant works now. This makes Vermeer's works more fascinating. His works are

characterized by bright, luminous colors, precise depictions, and a soft, graceful atmosphere.

Researchers have proposed several theories about the techniques and materials Vermeer used, as well

as the environment in which he created his works, but none are known for certain. This has made

Vermeer's work enigmatic and fascinating, and has attracted the attention of many art lovers and

scholars.