Seeing this painting, how do you feel? This might be the most famous painting of Vermeer. I remember that there were no words to say, when I met this wonderful painting at the first time. Then I noticed the turban, which has beautiful and bright blue, and contrast toward yellow clothes. The black of the background is very dark, but we can see the delicate light from her front. They are, however, just factors of this paintings. What impressed me the best, is her gaze. It was very keen, but looked like sad. As other his paintings, this girl seems to be still moving. This painting allowed me to think that she was about to speak to somebody, smile but at the same time, she also seems to be scared. In my private opinions, I prefer a girl who looks like so-called 'short-lived'. So it might be obvious for me to be interested in this picture.

At that time, about 5 years ago, I didn't know just his name. I saw this picture on a book. But this picture is used without a name of Vermeer. Then I examined who painted this girl. In fact, it was not so difficult to find his name, Vermeer. 'cause he is enough famous for also people who don't have a specialty of arts.

And while I examined little by little, I found lots of interesting things about him. One of them is his history. Here I introduce a tiny history. In 1632, he, Johannes Vermeer, was born in Delft, Holland. His father worked on silk weaver and art dealer. Then in 1653, Vermeer married Catherina Bolnes. Until in 1675 he died, he had 8 children with his wife. His estate, 19(!!) paintings, bequeathed to his widow and Maria Thins, who was the eldest daughter. But, in 1676, when was just one year after his death, the widow had to pay a debt of "617" guilders to a baker with two paintings.

These stories show us that he was not so rich, in fact. Besides he didn't, or couldn't, learn painting in any other countries, though other many painters did so. He lived in Holland all his life, and loved Delft, where he was born. His splendid painting shows this, "View of Delft." The painters I had known, almost spent strange lives. On the other hand, his life, Vermeer, seemed to be very simple like his paintings. He was just painter in Holland, and not so rich and spent his life with his wife and children. He operated a small Bar, and art dealer as his father. He looks like ordinary man who is like me.

He left just 30 paintings, more or less, though he had painted for twenty years. I feel sad that he didn't paint so much. And at the same time, I feel happy that I may be able to see all his paintings because of it.

This story was a first step that I would write this homepage.