Johannes Vermeer (1632 to 1675) spent his whole life in Delft. He painted slowly; only about 34 to 36 paintings are accepted as his today. Most show one or two people in a quiet room, lit from a window on the left. His buyers were local, and he was almost forgotten for two centuries until a French critic, Théophile Thoré-Bürger, championed him in the 1860s. Vermeer is the most famous painter of the Dutch market's everyday subjects.
Looking closely: The Milkmaid
Describe. A sturdy kitchen maid pours milk from a jug into a bowl. On the table are bread, a basket and a blue jug; on the wall, a basket and a brass pail; on the floor, a foot warmer and a row of tiles. Analyze. Light from the window falls across her face, her yellow bodice and the bread. Vermeer made the bread and basket glitter with tiny dots of light, a technique called pointillé. The colors are few and strong: yellow, blue and red, against a pale wall. Her arms and the table edge lead to the stream of milk. Interpret. Simple work is shown with care and dignity. Every object is still except the milk, and the scene feels calm and timeless.
Key idea
Why it works
Common mistake
Girl with a Pearl Earring (about 1665) is not a portrait of a known person. It is a tronie, a Dutch term for a study of a face, here in an exotic turban. View of Delft (about 1660 to 1661) shows his city across the water under a wide, cloudy sky.
Worked example: Is it a portrait?
- A tronie is a study of a face, often in costume.
- It was painted to sell as a character study, not ordered by a sitter.
- So it does not record a particular person, and her identity is unknown.
Answer: No: a tronie is a character study, and the sitter is unknown.