Though only 36 paintings by artist Johannes Vermeer have survived, they have won him an enduring place among the great masters of the Dutch Golden Age. Best known today for his mesmerizing painting, “The Girl with a Pearl Earring,” Vermeer actually specialized in less exotic genre paintings, such as scenes of everyday life favored by patrons and collectors in mid-17th century Netherlands. From his early to late works, Vermeer’s approach to his subject matter was far from conventional and never casual. This class will trace the development of Vermeer’s vision, as he, superbly sensitive to qualities of light, created paintings that communicate through their glowing luminosity. As we study Vermeer’s processes of painting, his astounding facility with paint and brush (and perhaps his employment of the latest technology—the camera obscura), we will try to come to a deeper appreciation of his simple, superbly quiescent and beautiful representations of everyday (but in no way ordinary) living.