Artist Profile: Johannes Vermeer

Johannes Vermeer was a Dutch painter, born in Delft in 1632. He began his career in the arts when his father died and Vermeer inherited the family art dealing business. He continued to work as an art dealer even after he had become a respected painter because he needed the money.

Vermeer married a Catholic woman named Catharina Bolnes, even though he was a Protestant, and went to live with her and her mother in the “Papist corner.” Catholics in Delft lived in a separate neighborhood than the Protestants and the members of the two religions did not usually spend much time together.

Vermeer and his wife had fourteen children but not nearly enough money to support them all. Catharina’s mother gave them some money and let the family live with her but Vermeer still had to borrow money to feed his children.

In 1653, Vermeer joined the painters’ trade association, the Guild of Saint Luke. This allowed him to be taken seriously as an artist.

Later, Pieter van Ruijven, one of the richest men in town, became Vermeer’s patron. As patrons do, Ruijven bought many of Vermeer’s paintings and made sure he had canvas, paints, and brushes so he could work. Having a patron meant that Vermeer could use the color blue in his paintings, a very expensive color in the 1600s because it was made out of the semi-precious stone, lapis lazuli. And use blue he did. Look at the headband on this famous painting, Girl with the Pearl Earring.

Today, we have given Vermeer credit for 66 paintings, though experts are only sure that 35 of them were actually painted by Vermeer. Another Dutch painter, Han van Mergeren, wanted to prove that he was a good artist so he painted in the style of Vermeer, making an unknown number of fakes.

Nearly all of Vermeer’s paintings show indoor scenes. One exception is View of Delft, shown below. Most have a single window on the left side of the painting which provides the light. (For example, The Milkmaid, picture to the left.) Vermeer created a smooth but thick painting by applying a thin layer of paint, letting it dry, then adding another thin layer of paint, and continuing until he was happy with the artwork. His subjects ranged from very poor workers to rich nobles.

EDITED TO ADD: Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett, book review

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Art Supplies: Pastels

There are several types of pastels, soft pastels, hard pastels, and pastel pencils. Soft pastels look like crayons, though they are not waxy. They are so soft that the artist can blend different pastel colors right on his paper using his fingers. Soft pastels produce very bright colors.

Hard pastels are not as bright or as soft as soft pastels. They do not blend or smudge as easily and are usually used for drawing outlines and details.

Pastel pencils are used for drawing fine details. They are like colored pencils with a softer lead. The colors are brighter than colored pencil colors but not as bright as soft pastels.

Edgar Degas, a French painter in the nineteenth century, used pastels a lot. They were perfect for creating the tutus of his many ballerinas like the ones shown here in Ballet Rehearsal.

You can buy soft pastels, hard pastels, and pastel pencils at most art supply store. If you can, try each type for yourself. Then draw a picture using all three types of pastels.

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Ish by Peter H. Reynolds

Peter H. Reynolds’ Ish is the story of Ramon who loves to draw. Like many of us though, he lets the opinions of others discourage him.

This picture book for the youngest of art fans is illustrated by Reynolds in black and white with a touch of watercolor in the background of each picture. Reynolds text and illustrations work together to create a boy who comes alive before your eyes. You will root for this loveable character as he learns what making art is really about.

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Create Your Own Cave Painting

Want to try your own cave painting?

Materials Needed:

4 Plastic Containers
Sidewalk Chalk
Water
Large Paintbrushes
Rock
Stick


Use a rock to crush the chalk into powder inside the plastic containers. Use a different container for each color. Add, about 1/3 cup for each stick of chalk and use a stick to stir in the chalk until the water becomes the right color. Use your paintbrushes to create your masterpiece on the sidewalk or in your driveway. Try painting animals like the cave painters did. Don’t forget to leave your handprint next to your painting.

The cave painters used red, yellow, brown, and black but sidewalk chalk doesn’t usually come in brown or black. To make brown, mix blue and orange. If you want light brown, use more orange. If you want dark brown, use more blue. To make black, mix purple, blue, and orange.

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Cave Painting

The earliest artists that we know of painted inside caves about 32,000 years ago. Scientists have found paintings in caves on nearly every continent.

Cave painters only had a small number of colors to work with because they made their paint by grinding up certain stones and adding water to the powder to make a type of paint. They could make brown, black, yellow, and red and these colors suited their needs because they painted mostly animals. Early humans could not sign their names on their paintings like artists do today because they hadn’t invented writing yet. Instead, handprints are common in the caves.

Just like today, cave painters used paintbrushes to create their artwork. They made the brushes out of animal hair or small twigs. They also used their fingers to paint and sometimes they created small tubes out of sticks or bone that they filled with paint and then blew through one end to spread the paint across the rock.

The paintings have lasted for so long because many of them have been closed off in caves for thousands of years where the temperature stays cool and the rain and snow can not reach the paint to wash it from the rock.

Click here for more information on prehistoric cave painting.

Click here for cave painting illustrations.

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