Vermeer and the Girl with the Pearl Earring

As of now, the name Vermeer instantly evokes the image of the girl in the painting Girl with the Pearl Earring. This is because, believe it or not, this is one of the most easily identifiable pictorial works by the general public. This piece is very important, so much so that many people call it the Mona Lisa of the North. The 17th-century Dutch master’s splendid rendition of an ordinary girl became a universal icon. The painting shows a young woman against a mysterious dark background, with a pearl shining on her lobe. Vermeer’s art became the most popular of…