Vermeer, Jan (1632-1675), Dutch painter on canvas, who excelled in portraying interior scenes that are composed with mathematical precision and suffused with cool, silvery light . Vermeer, also called Jan van der Meer van Delft, was born in Delf. After serving an apprenticeship, he was admitted in 1653 to the guild of Saint Luke of Delft as a master painter on canvas. An important member of the guild, he served four terms on its board of governors and is believed to have been well known to his contemporaries. He made a modest living as an art dealer rather than as a painter.