Vermeer was an authentic artistic genius – even if he did cheat | Simon Jenkins

Who cares if, as a sensational new book argues, the painter traced and copied to achieve his effects? What matters is that the end results were sublimeJohannes Vermeer was a cheat. He was a printmaker, a tracer, a copyist. Some might say he was not a real artist at all. So suggests Jane Jelley in a new book, Traces of Vermeer, on the Dutch master. It is borderline sensational. Related: Vermeer: the artist who taught the world to see ordinary beautyRelated: Girl With The Pearl Earring: what's the