Through a historical analysis of Vermeer's method of production and a close reading of his work, Daniel Arasse explores the originality of this artist in the context of 17th-century Dutch painting. Arguing that Vermeer was not a painter in the conventional, commercial sense, Arasse suggests that his confrontation with painting represented a very personal and ambitious effort to define a new pictorial practice within the classical tradition of his art. By examining Vermeer's approach to image-making, the author finds that his works demonstrate the concept of painting as a medium through which the viewer senses the presence of life. Not only does this concept of painting carry on the traditions of classical antiquity and the Renaissance, but it also relates to Catholic ideas about spiritual meditation and the power of images.