A look at major painting exhibitions: Vermeer, the poet of reality

French

Lecture by SERGE LEGAT
Art historian, professor at the Institut d'Études supérieures des Arts

Johannes Vermeer is one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age. His paintings, of incomparable quality and poetry, fascinate and astonish with their mastery of pictorial technique, light and the art of illusion. Born in Delft in 1632, Vermeer began his career painting historical pictures, scenes from the Bible and classical mythology. From 1656, he turned to genre paintings and a few city views. He died in Delft on December 16, 1675, aged forty-three.

What we know of Vermeer can therefore be summed up in the name of a town and two dates. Vermeer's work was no better off, falling into oblivion in the early 18th century. It wasn't until 1866 that a passionate and obstinate enthusiast, Thoré-Bürger, patiently brought the artist out of his purgatory and restored his body of work (only some thirty paintings!). Vermeer was born in the time of Rembrandt, rediscovered in the time of Van Gogh, and his art continues to intrigue and captivate! Vermeer is the magic of a brush that transcends the triviality of everyday life to achieve the most subtle and poetic of pictorial creations.

About Serge Legat

An art historian and lecturer at national museums, Serge Legat has taught at the École du Louvre and organized the Jeudis de Drouot and Club de l'Art lectures. He is professor of art history at the Institut d'Études supérieures des Arts (IESA) and teaches at the École d'Architecture de Paris-Val-de-Marne.