In this series, we explore the stories behind certain pigments - natural and synthetic - and how these hues, and artists’ understanding of color in general has impacted the development of art. Read the first installment, What is Color? here….

Johannes Vermeer lived in Delft during the mid-1600s. He was a master of capturing soft, diffused, natural light through his signature painting technique of layering thin glazes of oil. Today, Vermeer is one of the most celebrated masters of the Dutch Gold…