Cv/VAR 36 takes as its focus two paintings by Johannes Vermeer (1632-75): The Milkmaid c.1661-62 and Woman Holdinga Balance c.1662-65, and considers critical approaches to the artist by four historians Edward A.Snow, Lawrence Gowing, John Michael Montias, and Martin Pops. Its aim is not solely to describe Vermeer's art, but by a process of comparative analysis to discern the various standpoints of his biographers, and to clarify their methodologies in research. The volume includes studies of artists from the early Renaissance to the 20th century: Masaccio; Vermeer; Velázquez; Cézanne; Dali.