Jan Vermeer worked in the mid 17th century in the Netherlands, he is widely known for his paintings showing the scenes of everyday life. Unfortunately, there are only 30 or so paintings that can be identified as being by Vermeer. Although Vermeer had quite a low output, Vermeer was in many ways a pioneer in the the way many modern painters work.
Today, many artists such as those who specialise in pet portraits, use a camera to capture a fleeting scene to then work on at a later date, or use photographs sent to them by customers as a reference for a portrait. In some corners of the art world, use of a camera is sneered upon by purists, however, this is not a new phenomenon. Way back in the 16th century Vermeer was using a forerunner of the camera, called the Camera Obscura, to project the scene he was to paint, onto his canvas.
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