“The Milkmaid”
Today, one from the Dutch Golden Age of Art.
This beautiful oil on canvas painting, titled “The Milkmaid”, is by the Dutch Baroque artist, Johannes Vermeer, from circa 1658 to 1660. Vermeer’s subjects dealt with the everyday and ordinary. He was meticulous in his work and paid such attention to details that today, he is remembered as one of the great Dutch masters. Vermeer painted this piece when he was just 25 years old.
In this piece, a kitchen maid is pouring milk into an earthenware container on a table beneath a window. The milk is accompanied on the table by loaves and rolls of bread, perhaps with the intention of making bread pudding. A foot warmer is seen on the floor behind her. Delft tiles line the bottom of the walls.
“The Milkmaid” is one of Vermeer’s most well-known works due to the exquisite detail. Notice the texture of the food and the folds of the fabric in her clothing, as well as the brilliant colors. Vermeer used only the expensive pigments and as such, his blues are so saturated as compared to contemporaries of the day. Also notice the soft diffused light cast around the room from the window. Vermeer is known for his mastery of depicting light.
Originally, Vermeer had painted a map on the wall and a clothes basket on the floor. He painted over those creating the overall triangular composition that you see here. There is a rich tradition of milkmaids in Dutch culture as being objects of desire. This piece is often seen as having undertones of sexuality or love, but not as outward as contemporaries of the day.
“The Milkmaid” is currently on display at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
For more on Johannes Vermeer, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
