Johannes Vermeer

Having produced a total of only thirty four masterpieces in his career of less than twenty years, Johannes Vermeer is considered a legend in the history of art. A Dutch painter from the town of Delft, he was highly popular in his hometown, but never got a chance to see the outside world. He was known for being the only artist in the seventeenth century to have used the ultramarine shade procured from the costly lapis lazuli stone, on such a large-scale. He painted in the style adopted by other 'Golden Age' artists, with portraits and everyday scenes forming a major part of his work. He also attempted allegorical paintings and landscapes, producing a wide range of subjects in each of his paintings. Despite being an esteemed painter of the times, he had to suffer the effects of war as much as everyone else did. Towards the end of his career and life, he had accumulated a huge debt, especially from loans granted by a baker, Hendrick van Buyten, who had possession of the paintings as indemnity. The destitution suffered by Johannes, and the burden of providing for a family of eleven children, ultimately led to this genius' depression and subsequent death