Today In History; Stolen Jan Vermeer Painting Found

1974: When Jan Vermeer's painting The Guitar Player (1670-72) was recovered in London, it was cause for celebration as the artist seems to have produced no more than thirty-five paintings in his life. Born in the town of Delft in the Netherlands, Jan Vermeer was one of the great masters of Dutch Baroque genre painting. His work demonstrates great precision and use of space. Innovative in his use of light, he also used a technique that was completely new - making sections of his paintings seem out of focus. One of his best known paintings is The Artist's Studio (1665-66), in which the foreground seems to be in shadow, while a window illuminates a woman holding a book - the artist's model.