Johannes Vermeer (October 1632 – 15 December 1675) was a famous Dutch painter. He lived during the Dutch Golden Age, a time when Dutch art was very popular. Vermeer is known for his beautiful paintings of everyday life inside homes. He often showed scenes of middle-class people.

Vermeer is considered one of the greatest painters of his time, alongside Rembrandt. During his life, he was a successful painter in his hometown of Delft and in The Hague. He didn't paint many pictures, and he also worked as an art dealer to make a living. When he died, he wasn't rich, and his family was left with debts.

Vermeer painted slowly and carefully. He used very expensive pigments (colours) in his art. He is especially famous for how he used light in his paintings. It made his artwork look very real and glowing. Many of his paintings show the same rooms in his house in Delft. They also often show the same people, usually women.

After he died, Vermeer's fame faded away. People hardly mentioned him for almost 200 years. Then, in the 1800s, art experts rediscovered his work. Since then, Vermeer's reputation has grown a lot. Today, he is one of the most admired painters in history.