Who is Johannes Vermeer in the novel, Girl in Hyacinth Blue?

Johannes Vermeer is the painter who made the painting that is the center of The Girl in Hyacinth Blue. He appears in the final two chapters, where he is agonizing over how he will make enough money with his paintings to support his family. He is mesmerized by his daughter’s face, and wants to paint it honestly, without sentimentality, to capture the searching look she has.