Technically speaking, in 20 years the Essential Vermeer has grown from a simple one-page list of Vermeer-related websites and publications into the most exhaustive site dedicated to an individual artist on the World Wide Web. It now features over 6,000 web objects: more than 500 web pages, thousands of links, over 3,000 images, hundreds of audio files, and innovative interactive studies, including a complete online catalogue of Vermeer's paintings
In 2002, the first year online, Essential Vermeer received 17,547 visitors. By 2014, the number had grown to 753,236 unique visitors and 1,986,790 page views. The Essential Vermeer is regularly cited in Vermeer literature and has become a primary resource for anyone who wishes to know more about Vermeer.
More importantly, I have done my best to make the Essential Vermeer a place that presents an organic and objective overview of Vermeer's art, life, and times a place whereboth newcomers and longtime enthusiasts of Vermeer can find food for thought and the information they need—efficiently. It has become a place where information on all the latest exhibitions, conferences and publications about Vermeer can be comfortably located, any time, day or night. It has also become a bridge to the most recent developments in worldwide Vermeer scholarship. Maintaining objectivity and the highest degree of historical accuracy is fundamental. As a painter by profession, I have focused my personal insights on the more technical aspects of Vermeer's paintings, as that's where I truly feel at home.
I hope that my readers will not shy away from sharing with me their thoughts and feelings about any aspect of the content, format and direction of Essential Vermeer. The readers of the Essential Vermeer are my most valuable resource.
Looking forward to hearing from you soon!
Jonathan Janson
jonathanjanson@essentialvermeer.com
A little about me
I was born and raised in the United States and earned my degree in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1972. My fascination with Johannes Vermeer began during a freshman art history course when I encountered Woman Holding a Balance.projected on the wall of a first-year art history class at the Rhode Island School of Design. Intrigued and captivated by what I saw, I soon took a trip to Boston to experience Vermeer's Concert at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum—a visit that would profoundly influence both my professional career and personal research. Since graduating, I have been living and working in Rome, Italy, where I've established myself as a professional painter.
If you're interested, you're welcome to view a selection of my watercolor works at:
http://www.essentialvermeer.com/jonathan_janson/jonathan_janson.htm
Jonathan Janson
Young Man Turning on a TV by Jonathan Janson
Oil on canvas, 21 x 21 inches
2008–2010
or anything else that isn't working as it should be, I'd love to hear it! Please write me at: