Original version

BBC Four

Knowledge, arts, music and culture from the UK and the world.

BBC Four reflects arts, music and culture with an ambitious range of intellectually and culturally enriching programmes, taking an expert and in-depth approach to its subjects.

BBC Four HD

Secret Lives of the Artists

Andrew Graham-Dixon

Roger Parsons

Secret Lives of the Artists: Episode 2: The Madness of Vermeer

Documentaries

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media

The Madness of Vermeer

Episode 2

Episode 2: The Madness of Vermeer

BBC Two - Secret Lives of the Artists, The Madness of Vermeer

Andrew Graham-Dixon visits Delft to find out about the turbulent life of Vermeer.

Andrew Graham-Dixon visits Delft to find out about the turbulent life of the painter Vermeer, somewhat ironically known for his images of tranquility.

Johannes Vermeer is one of our favourite painters, with his Girl with a Pearl Earring now deemed the 'Mona Lisa of the North'. But little is known about his life and for almost two centuries he was lost to obscurity. 

Andrew Graham-Dixon, travelling to Vermeer's hometown of Delft and a dramatic Dutch landscape of huge skies and windmills, embarks on a detective trail to uncover the life of a genius in hiding.

Renowned for painting calm and beautiful interiors, the real life of Vermeer was marred by crime and violence. His life was a bid to escape the privations of his family and yet even a glamorous marriage and artistic success failed to save him from the fate he dreaded more than any other.

BBC Two

Knowledge, drama, comedy and the arts for a broad adult audience.

BBC Two is a lively channel of depth and substance, carrying a range of knowledge-building programming complemented by great drama, comedy and arts.

BBC Two logo

Andrew Graham-Dixon delves into the hidden lives of some of the world's great painters

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Secret Lives of the Artists

Episode 2: The Madness of Vermeer

Contributors

Genres

Formats

Series

BBC Four HD

About BBC Four