Girl with a Pearl Earring (1665)

Johannes Vermeer was a Dutch painter renowned for his masterful treatment of light and his meticulous attention to detail in his depictions of domestic interior scenes. Born in Delft in 1632, Vermeer's work is characterized by a sense of tranquility and the often contemplative mood of his subjects. Although he produced a relatively small oeuvre, his paintings like "Girl with a Pearl Earring" and "The Milkmaid" are celebrated for their serene beauty and intricate use of color and light. Vermeer's talent in portraying the texture of materials and the subtleties of natural light has placed him among the most admired of the Dutch Golden Age painters. Despite his artistic genius, Vermeer was not widely known during his lifetime and left his family in debt upon his death in 1675.