Women's Roles Throughout 17th Century Spain

Standing out in contrast with other European courts of the time, Spanish Baroque portraiture tends to be more simple with very few embellishments, transmitting the intense humanity and dignity of the subject. This however does not necessarily indicate that the subjects held great importance or were of high social status: all subjects were portrayed in the same way, whether they be mighty rulers or street children, and the audience would have understood the social roles of each person in the paintings by the context of their time. The Baroque paintings I have included below are curated to highlight the different roles women played in 17th century Spain. As you peruse the collection, focus on the naturalism in the portrayal of each subject’s features and see if you can notice any trends of fatalism these women show towards their life and predestined roles on the canvas. I also call you to pay close attention to how the subjects are painted not necessarily as representation of their autonomous selves, but by the roles they fulfilled in society. For better or worse, women in 17th century Spain were confined by the ascribed virtues (or sins) of their era, and the persons painted were used less as individuals and more as models reflecting the role they played in society. Though the modest portraiture trends of the time demanded a dignified style, this dignity was not intended for women. Rather, it was a somber representation of what a woman should, or should not, be. 

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Four Figures on a Step, 1655–60, oil on canvas, The Kimbell Art Museum, Texas

There seems to be two layers of symbolism in this painting, the 17th century viewer would easily have recognized the woman on the right as a madam (the head of a brothel); this character was commonly represented in Spanish art and literature as wearing glasses and a handkerchief over her head. However, the madam also holds the faceless boy's head in her hands, as if she were inspecting his hair for lice. In genre scenes, this gesture was a common motif representing motherly love and spiritual purity. Likewise the woman in the act of lifting the veil can also be seen in two lights, While the gesture had alluded to marital fidelity since classical times, in this context it may instead be a signal of her availability. A contrast of moral values and the reality of Spanish society. 

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Two Women at a Window, 1665-1675, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.

There is a wistful charm from this young woman peering out from her window as her chaperone attempts to muffle a laugh with her shawl. A chaperone and her charge, a familiar duo in upper-class Spanish households however it is difficult for the viewer to classify both women in the bourgeois society of their time as the uncovered head and shoulders of the girl show an unusual permissiveness for the time. Seeing as the earliest title given to this painting was Las Gallegas (The Galician Women) the viewers would have understood Galicia to be a poor province in northwestern Spain, and the homeland of most of Seville's courtesans and prostitutes. The younger woman's direct gaze, along with her low neckline and red flower, may be interpreted as a not-so-subtle invitation.

Diego Velázquez, Christ in the House of Martha and Mary, 1618, oil on canvas, National Gallery, London

In the background of this is a Biblical scene, generally accepted to be the story of Martha and Mary. In it, Christ goes to the house of a woman named Martha. Her sister, Mary, sat at his feet and listened to him speak while Martha went to "make all the preparations that had to be made". Upset that Mary did not help her, she complained to Christ to which he responded: "Martha, Martha, ... you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” In the painting, Christ is shown as a bearded man in a blue tunic gesturing towards Martha, the woman standing behind Mary, rebuking her for her frustration. The plight of Martha relates back to that of the woman in the foreground. The redness of her puffy cheeks, and sad eyes show that she is also upset. The elderly woman indicates the scene in the background, possibly rebuking the girl and reminding her that she cannot expect to gain fulfillment from work alone.

Elisabetta Sirani, Portia Wounding her Thigh, 1664, oil on canvas, Collezioni d'Arte e di Storia della Fondazione della Cassa di Risparmio, Bologna

Elisabetta Sirani’s Portia Wounding Her Thigh depicts the ancient Roman story of Portia who was the wife of Marcus Brutus, a Roman politician who is best known for having conspired and carried out the assassination of Julius Caesar. According to the story, Portia was aware of Brutus’s plans and eager to prove her ability to be his confidant. Portia planned to prove her trustworthiness by sending her attendants away and, using a small knife, cutting a gash in her thigh. When Brutus saw her wound, Portia described her ability to endure pain as evidence of her trustworthiness, and she became his secret keeper and confidant.

Juan Carreño de Miranda, Eugenia Martinez Vallejo, Clothed, c. 1680 oil on canvas, Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid

This six-year-old girl, known as La Monstrua, large size caused a sensation in Madrid when she was taken there in 1680. The curiosity she provoked led to the publication of three short texts describing her, including one by Juan Cabezas that refers to the origin of the paintings: “The king our lord has ordered she be attired decorously, in the style of the palace, in a sumptuous dress with red and white brocade and silver buttons, and he has commanded the second Apelles of our Spain, his painter, the distinguished Juan Carreño, to produce two different portraits of her: one nude, the other clothed.” Painted as a spectacle and for the nobles' entertainment, this child was still painted in a beautiful dress and buttons, dignifying her as she is demeaned. 

Diego Velázquez, Las Hilanderas (The Spinners), 1657, oil on canvas, Museo del Prado, Madrid

Diego Velázquez, Las Hilanderas (The Spinners) depicts The Fable of Arachne. In this story, a weaving competition takes place between Arachne and Athena, the patron goddess of weaving. After hearing of Arachne's boastful claims that she possessed spinning skills which could not be matched, the goddess challenges her. Upon seeing the scene depicted on Arachne's completed tapestry, which showed the gods in a negative light, Athena turned Arachne into a spider, condemning her to weave forever. It is this competition we see about to commence in The Spinners demonstrating the role of women as domestic workers, while still referencing the understood nature of woman venomous and spider-like.

Jusepe de Ribera, Magdalena Ventura with Her Husband and Son, 1631, oil on canvas, Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid

The Latin inscription on the stone tablet within the painting tells that when Magdelena was 37 she became hairy and “grew a beard so long and thick that it seems more like that of any bearded gentleman than of a woman who had borne three sons by her husband.” Magdalena was most-likely the primary source of income through her facial hair, as the painting shows her with a long, untrimmed beard emphasizing her "manliness" and strength even while she nurses the child in her arms, offering a unique composition featuring a different kind of motherhood.

Everyone Hated These Six Representational Paintings, But Not For the Reason That You Think

Representational art is a funny thing. It's easier to catch a cloud than it is to define art. What can be said about it, however, is that art's ability to portray without being perfectly naturalistic is essential to its nature. Taking representation from art would be to destroy most of it. In this exhibit, we will explore how artists stray from pure naturalism to create art that represents reality in recognizable ways. It is in this space, the gap between the presented artworks and photorealism that the artist's voice can shine. Another way to think about this would be the spectrum between purely naturalist and purely stylized art. The works in this exhibit sit somewhere in the middle, and it is this position that imbues them with so much meaning. All six of them are representational artworks which make use of stylization. But they accomplish very different things through their creative power. Some artists used this power to portray beautiful ideals. It seems natural to use creative license to bridge the gap between reality and perfection. But for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The final three artists in this exhibit critique reality by making it appear visually worse than it really is. Both directions are shown in order to argue the point that stylization in representational art can be used to make works that appear better or worse than reality. 

Georgia O'Keeffe, Black Iris, 1926, oil on canvas, 36" x 29 7/8" Accession Number 69.278.1

Black Iris was the first piece chosen for this collection. I was drawn to it by its content: one single flower so close that it isn't entirely visible. As a product of western culture, O'Keeffe had many core beliefs which were heavily the result of Greek influence. For example, when painting this flower, she stated that she wanted the viewers to see the black iris for what it really was. Not just a flower, but an ideal that would never be observed in real life. O'Keeffe is known as the mother of American modernism, and her work often shows a distinctly American flavor of what the ideal modern world would look like. 

Sandro Bottielli, Birth of Venus, 1485, tempera on canvas, Le Gallerie Degli Uffizi

This highly stylized painting also represents an ideal. The subject of this painting is placed on a pedestal where she is prized for her beauty as well as her modesty, or purity. There is strong tension here, as the artists balances between displaying an objectified body, while not revealing too much of that body so as to corrupt her "purity." I selected Venus for this collection because she does an excellent job of showcasing stylized naturalism as idealism. When we look at her it is hared not to assume that this is what every woman should look like, when really this painting represents an ideal that would look highly out of place in the everyday world. This is partly because she is a two-dimensional, tempera image, but that's not the whole story. If we were to imagine her as a clothed figure walking down a runway, her hight, skin tone and facial features would still look out of place. 

Marsden Hartley, White Flower, 1917, oil on wood, accession number: 1983.538

A single flower is shown shining brightly from the confines of an absurdly tall, narrow base. Brilliant white petals gleam in a manner which would never be observed in the natural world. The difference in value between the flower and the green leaves in the background make it appear luminescent. The flower bears no real resemblance to any living species: it is to oversimplified to be recognizable. Similar to Black Iris this flower represents an ideal, an idea in an artist's head more than a real flower. 

Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet, Flowers (Camellias, Tulips, Irises and Other Flowers in Two Pots, 1863, oil on canvas, Hermitage Museum

Courbet is well known for his most scandalous works, some of which have even been destroyed. But even this tame floral piece gives the viewer an indication of Courbet's tendency to be a maverick. The loose, blurred strokes create a work that is highly representational, much like Black Iris. But this stylization doesn't require it to be an ideal. It's a wilting still life. This piece is not highly naturalistic in form. The quick, almost careless brushstrokes ensure that it looks nothing like a photograph. But it is highly naturalistic in content: it appears to approximate a still life. As an impressionist painter, it's likely that this is what Gustave intended. Not a single flower could be mistaken for an ideal - they're to "real looking."

Vincent van Gogh, Le café de nuit (The Night Café), 1888, ol on canvas, Yale Art Gallery

Here we see a similar palette of reds and greens. But this time, instead of being applied to a bouquet of flowers, they are forced out of their natural context and projected into a room. The result is harsh, jarring, and confrontational. This famous post-impressionist piece offers a very ordinary scene. Some might even call this scene realist. Red walls the color of dried blood blood, a green ceiling the color of turned copper, and phlegmy yellows easily disgust the viewer. The tables are a mess, and eschewed furniture creates shadows bent out of proportion. It's a hostile environment, really. The arrangement of billiard balls and stick could pass for the work of a 6th-grader, but what's even worse is the stick's lack of parallelism with the floorboards. 

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Street, Dresden, 1908 oil on canvas, The Museum of Modern Art

Lastly, and most formidably, stands Kirchner's Street, Dresden. Grotesque women gaze past the viewer, and the misplaced counterbalance of crowd behind them puts even more emphasis on their discomforting forms. He shares several strategies with Van Gogh: unnatural colors make the viewer feel ill at ease, an vast swaths of negative space threaten to swallow the viewer whole. But look at what this space points toward. A young, misshapen child stands under hairy Venus fly-trap lobes that are actually a bonnet. I would argue that the claw like bonnet could represent Kirchner's view of bourgeoisie culture, which entraps and disfigures that which should be young and innocent. Slowly she will be transformed into the depraved wraiths surrounding her on all sides. 

The Nude Bathing Scene

French artists Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Suzanne Valadon (1865-1938), and William-Adolphe Bourguerau (1825-1905) had artistic careers that overlapped, partially by way of their subject matter. Though Degas is quite firmly cemented within the impressionist tradition, while Valadon was more of a post-impressionist, they were good friends and contemporaries. This is also despite scholarly ambivalence about Degas intentions and purpose in choosing to depict lower class women who were often assumed to be prostitutes. However, Valadon did not begin life in the same social sphere. She grew up in poverty, and worked modeling for those such as Lautrec, Morisot, and Renoir. She learned from watching the artists she posed for, and in the 1880’s began her artistic career. She was well respected, and her work was admired by her friend Degas. Her informal training combined with her social status and modeling experience influenced her unique style and perspective that gave her work and depiction of women a little before seen depth and character. Alternatively, William-Adolphe Bourguerau worked within the academic art tradition. Though Bourguerau was extremely skilled and famous within his time, many others, including Degas were known to be openly derogatory towards him, as they believed his work was too old-fashioned and conventional. 

All three of these French artists in their differing styles painted, sculpted, and drew many female bathing nudes throughout their careers, which overlapped partially. They built upon the same foundation, exemplified in Rembrandt’s Bathsheba at Her Bath (1654), but their differing styles and philosophies resulted in contrasting representation. All of the artworks included here depict women who are unselfconsciously bathing. Yet, the narrative of Bathsheba at Her Bath (1654) imposes limitations on how nude women are represented that remained in the social archive for years to come, and the visual language of After the Bath (1875) promotes that limitation, that nude women depicted in art are promiscuous in some way. Degas and Valadon counter that in their portrayals.  Whatever their intentions were, Degas and Valadon both achieved a more humanizing representation of female nude bathers than Bourguerau.

Rembrandts’ Bathsheba at Her Bath (Bathsheba Holding King David’s Letter), 1654. Oil on canvas, 

142 x 142 cm. The Louvre.

This historical painting is a depiction of Bathsheba from the biblical narrative. It is interesting to note that this is an interior scene, which contrasts the setting of Rembrandt’s earlier painting The Toilet of Bathsheba (1643). Her pale body is naturalistic, and stands out against the dark background, and though the drape covers her pubic region, which is a necessary element within most female bathing nude works. Another oft-repeated element is a female servant who is fully clothed, which provides further contrast.  The narrative that this painting reinforces and which remains for hundreds of years is that nude women within art are promiscuous. 

William-Adolph Bourguereau’s After the Bath, 1875. Oil on Canvas, 152 x 90.5 cm. Private Collection.

Many of Bourguereau’s paintings depicted mythological figures such as gods, goddesses, satyrs, and nymphs (the latter shown here). His work was often described as smooth, waxy, and romanticized, all of which accurately describe this painting. The female nymph is naturalistic in terms of accurate musculature and build, but he gave her an overly polished look, and an empty expression. The setting, narrative, and form do nothing to give her particularity or purpose, other than vaguely drying.

Edgar Degas, Woman Having Her Hair Combed, 1886-88. Pastel, 29 ⅛” x 23 ⅞”. 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

 

One of the many ways in which this pastel departs from Bouguereau is that it is not historical or referencing mythology. It simply depicts a modern woman of the time, not based in any narrative, just enjoying a familiar, everyday task of hair care. The composition has a foundational X- shape, created by the intersection of the towel, woman’s body, and the chaise. This shape provides a stability to the composition that further reinforces the comfortable, safe tone of the piece. The ever present drapery is not covering her at all, instead she is sitting on it. It is a much more naturalistic rendering in terms of environment than previous works selected here. 

Edgar Degas, Woman Seated in Armchair Wiping Her Left Armpit. Bronze Sculpture, 

32.1 x 31.8 x 19.7 cm. Modeled 1895, Cast 1920.

This sculpture could fall under what some critics of Degas called a more degrading or embarrassing pose, though others simply see it as naturalistic. Whatever the original intent may have been, it differs greatly from the Bouguereau painting in that it is a humanizing and familiar position, the woman is in the act of bathing, and just as in Woman Having her Hair Combed, is seated on the towel instead of having it draped around her. 

Suzanne Valadon,  After the Bath, 1893. Black crayon on tan paper, 20.6 x 13.5 cm. 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

This drawing is representative of many of the drawings and paintings Valadon did both in subject matter and style. She favored dark outlines and plain figures. Since it is less detailed than the other works included here, the details that are included are all the more important. She is represented naturalistically, as it is the only work within these selections to indicate hair in the armpits and pubic regions. She is simply focused on drying her body, and is actually using the towel she is sitting on, unlike in the Rembrandt and Bouguereau paintings included here. 

Gustave Courbet and the History of Realism

     

    Gustave Courbet and the History of Realism

    Gustave Courbet, 1819-1877, was a French painter who focused on a form of art in France called realism. Realism was a post enlightenment movement in art that focused on painting everyday life. Courbet rejected the Romanticism art in France and was an inspiration to other artists like Claude Manet and artists in the later Impressionist movement. Unlike other artists in France at the time, Courbet did not seek to paint an image that dramatized reality or idealize a certain scene or figure outside of the natural world, rather he sought to paint an accurate representation of the real, not merely as if recreating a photo, rather as the viewer would see a portrayal of reality through his artwork. Other artists particularly in the impressionist movements and in the brief realism period in France looked to Gustave and mimicked the idea he had of recreating the normal. Gustave paints landscapes and seascapes a lot but also sometimes human figures, nudes, and images of city and village life. His work can be distinguished from Romanticism through his use of color, texture, and light. The Romantics used these elements to create emphasis on a figure or scene whereas Courbet uses them to create natural shadows, and structures in his work.

    

Title: The Fishing Boat 

Artist: Gustave Courbet

 Date: 1865

 Medium: Oil on canvas

 Dimensions: 25 1/2 x 32 in.

 Classification: Paintings 

    This work by Gustave Courbet in 1865 depicts a Seascape with a tattered vessel beached on the rocks. If you look closely you can see the artist's brush strokes and smudges in the work especially on the beach where this texture gives an appearance of a rocky beach. The color scheme is not overly exposed to depict a fantastic sunset, instead Gustave here only paints a hint of light coming out from behind the clouds. The boat is canted in order to fit it proportionally into the canvas depicts a roughness or natural element of a scene that is frankly believable

Title: Hunting Dogs with Dead Hare

 Artist: Gustave Courbet

Date: 1857

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: 36 1/2 x 58 1/2 in.

Classification: Paintings

    Another work by Gustave Courbet depicts a hunting scene with dogs and a dead rabbit. Instead of smooth sleek coats on the dog their fur appears dull and dirty while their muscles and bodies look like they are working dogs. They have defined muscles and showing rib cages that are not as popular in the Romanticism movement in France. The color scheme in this painting is quite dark overall and details are obscured in the background causing an illusion of depth in the work combined with the scale value of the landscape here.

Title: The Green Wave

Artist: Claude Monet

Date: ca. 1866–67 

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: 19 1/8 x 25 1/2 in. 

Classification: Paintings

 

    Claude Monet, another French artist who was inspired largely by Realism and Gustave Courbet, developed artwork in the prominent Impressionist movement. In many ways his work captures the idea of Gustave in that he paints similar scenes with the same medium as Courbet with an emphasis on the real. In this work, Monet depicts a boat on a stormy sea, not idealized as a famous wreck but as a daily life event for some. The sea takes up most of the canvas and shows multiple ships getting tossed in rough weather.

The Raft of the Medusa

Théodore Géricault 

Date: 1819 

Style: Romanticism 

Genre: history painting 

Media: oil, canvas 

Dimensions: 46 x 38 cm 

    Theodore Gericault was an early Romantic artist in France. Romanticism idealized the artwork and created a dramatic story often or embellished a story with an epic image. In this scene, the dark sky and rough sea portrays an idea of the situation of the shipwrecked while illuminated on the horizon is a ship the stranded are trying to flag down. The ship is illuminated as a sign of hope. The scene dramatizes a story about a shipwrecked crew that really did exist where the crew resorted to cannibalism to survive.

Title: The Bathing Pool 

Artist: Hubert Robert 

Medium: Oil on canvas 

Dimensions: 68 3/4 x 48 3/4 in. 

Classification: Paintings 

    Robert Hubert is an early French painter in the Romanticism movement. While the exact date on this painting is unknown, Hubert lived in Paris France between 1733–1808 when this work was completed. The colors here are bright and the perspective portrays the building in the picture as large and towering. The foliage is a bright radiant green with exquisite details in the sky and clouds. The emphasis is on the landscape here though there are figures distant and small in the structure and in the pool. Compare this scene to Gustave Courbet and his style. This artwork appears to be a paradise compared to the rough scenes depicted by the Realism movement.

The Eye of The Beholder

Claude Monet was a French painter who is the forefather of the artistic movement known as Impressionism. Monet’s painting Impression, Sunrise, even gave the movement its name. Monet is most well known for his paintings of water lilies and other paintings of his carefully manicured garden at his house in Giverny, France. The artist unfortunately began to develop cataracts in his eyes in his late 60s (around 1909.) These cataracts and the following eye surgeries majorly affected Monet’s painting as his whole perspective changed. Monet was incredibly hesitant to get eye surgery as he had heard of it going badly with other artists Honoré Daumier and Mary Cassatt. He continued work with his cataracts getting ever more obstructive. He had to label his paints so as to not get them confused. Monet stated  “I prefer to make the most of my poor sight, and even give up painting if necessary, but at least be able to see a little of these things that I love.” In 1922, Monet attempted to fix his eyesight without surgery Monet obtained mydriatics from his doctor which for a temporary time did in fact help his eyesight. He said this about the effects of his eye drops “The drops have permitted me to paint good things rather than the bad paintings which I had persisted in making when seeing nothing but fog.” But that medicine soon lost its effect and in 1923, Monet eventually did get surgery after much urging from his doctor. Following this surgery Monet’s paintings began to once again look like his original style, showing us just how much of an effect his cataracts had on his work.

Bridge Over a Pond of Water Lilies, Claude Monet, 1899, Medium: Oil on canvas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, New York, U.S, 29.100.113

The bridge over the pond in Monet’s garden in Giverny is the object of many of the master's paintings. This painting, housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is one of Monet’s earlier representations. Painted well before Monet began developing cataracts, this work uses a wide variety of colors and depicts a coherent and understandable scene. The atmosphere is light and peaceful. There are identifiable objects and an understandable scene.

The Japanese Bridge, Claude Monet, Date: 1918-1919, Oil on canvas, Musee Marmottan Monet, Paris, France

Believe it or not this is a painting of the exact same bridge. However this was painted almost twenty years after Bridge Over Pond of Waterlilies, when Monet’s cataracts were in full effect. We hardly see any colors, mostly blacks and whites. The image is much more distorted and hard to understand. If you were not aware what this was an image of before looking at it then you might not ever make the connection between the two paintings. The effect of the painting here is more jarring and uncomfortable. Perhaps a reflection of Monet’s mood towards his situation.

Water Lilies, Claude Monet, 1897-1899, Oil on canvas, Museum of Modern Art, New York City, NY, US

Here we have a closer look at some of the water lilies in Monet’s pond. We see in this painting from before Monet’s issues with cataracts lots distinguishable shades and understandable objects. The painting has a slightly blue hue and again the effect of the painting is serene and pleasant. We see Monet’s finely trained eye mixing and layering various shades of blue to create his ideal color for his water lilies. He also uses yellows brilliantly to add a little bit of contrast in the flower of the lily.

Water Lilies, Claude Monet, 1914 - 1926, Oil on canvas, Private collection

This painting was started before the worst effects of Monet’s cataracts had set in and was continually painted until well after the effects had worsened. It serves as one of the only combinations of Monet’s styles. We see obvious notes of the blue hue his original work had along with more easily discernible objects paired with the yellow tint of the midway state of his ailment. We also see the objects in painting move more towards indistinguishable globs as we move towards the left side of the painting.

Weeping Willow, Claude Monet, 1918, Oil on canvas, Private Collection

This painting was made during the twilight of Monet’s failing eyesight. He still sees colors but he sees them through a yellowish tint caused by his cataracts. He depicts a weeping willow tree near the edge of the pond in his garden at Giverny. The form of the tree is still disguisable. We can see individual leaves and branches along with water lilies and reflections in the pond underneath the tree.

Weeping Willow, Claude Monet, 1921-1922,  Oil on canvas,  Musee Marmottan Monet, Paris, France

Here we have a painting of one of Monet’s weeping Willows at Giverny. The artist’s cataracts have fully set in and it is difficult for him to paint a distinction between colors on his palette in order to create the depth necessary for the viewer to distinguish the object being portrayed. It ends up being a muddy clump of colors in the rough shape of a tree, and yet somehow still beautiful.

In Light of Feminine Leisure in Vermeer’s Paintings

     Interior Dutch genre paintings were pioneered by artists such as Dirck Hals, William Duyster, and, of course, Johannes Vermeer (“master of light”) during the Dutch golden age of painting of the 17th century. This period, fresh out of the Eighty Years’ War for Dutch independence, was characterized by prosperity, leading to the Netherlands becoming Europe’s most prominent traders. It was during this period that women became central to Dutch home life, pursuing education in the arts as well as becoming well versed in finances. While other artists chose to depict women embracing maternal roles, such as caring for children, a majority of Vermeer’s paintings focus on quiet, personal moments of feminine leisure. Many women are portrayed participating in indoor activities, illuminated by exterior lighting from a nearby window. This exhibition attempts to explore how Vermeer’s fascination with the interior life of Dutch women may have furthered his understanding of light. 

Johannes Vermeer, Young Woman with a Lute, ca. 1662-1663, oil on canvas, (the MET: gallery 964)

Our first work we shall be observing, Young Woman with a Lute, was painted between the years 1662 and 1663. The painting depicts a seated young woman, gazing out a window while tuning her lute. The open song books as well as the viola da gamba in the foreground are often theorized to suggest the upcoming arrival of another musician, possibly a romantic suitor, to perform a duet with our protagonist. Throughout the piece, light and shadow are used to create contrast between the seated woman and her surroundings, as well as create a stark divide between the subject and the viewer. 

Johannes Vermeer, A Lady Writing, c. 1665, oil on canvas, (National Gallery of Art)

Our next piece, A Lady Writing,was painted in 1665, and depicts a young woman who seems to have been interrupted from her writing

by the viewer as she glances in our direction, quill still in hand. The simplicity of this shadowy

interior causes the viewer’s gaze to fall on the woman as we are confronted by her directness.

In this painting, soft and natural light is used sparingly, primarily emphasizing the seated woman

at the table.

Johannes Vermeer, A Maid Asleep, ca. 1656-1657, oil on canvas, (the MET: gallery 964)

In one of Vermeer’s earliest genre paintings, A Maid Asleep,  we peer into a dimly lit space to see a young woman who has dozed off against a table, gently resting against her arm. Vermeer has transfigured this seemingly ordinary scene into an investigation of light and color. The warm tones of the woman’s dress along with the tablecloth create a sense of unity. The soft

glow of natural light is strategically placed to reflect against the woman, illuminating her presence. 

Johannes Vermeer, Young Woman with a Water Pitcher, ca. 1662, oil on canvas, (the MET: gallery 964)

    As we gaze into the scene of Young Woman with a Water Pitcher, we see a young woman standing beside a cluttered table, one hand on a silver pitcher, and the other in

the process of opening a window. As this is one of Vermeer’s brighter paintings, we can truly appreciate

how he uses excess light. This work suggests that Vermeer acknowledges light as a composition of colors,

for example, the blue drape is reflected as dark blue on the side of the silver pitcher, while the red fabric

of the table cloth modifies the gold hue of the basin’s underside. 

Johannes Vermeer, Woman Writing a Letter, with her Maid, ca. 1670, oil on canvas, (National Gallery of Ireland)

In one of Vermeer’s later works, Woman Writing a Letter, with her Maid,our attention is now drawn to two figures: a woman seated at a table, composing a sort of letter, and an

awaiting handmaiden standing behind her, arms crossed, gazing out a window. Vermeer uses the

unique interior of a large 17th century Dutch home to explore light’s effects on objects such as

sheer curtains and stained glass windows. We can also see how light was obscured, creating

dynamic shadows throughout the room.

Johannes Vermeer, Woman with a Pearl Necklace, ca. 1664, oil on canvas, (The Gemäldegalerie, Berlin)

    For our last work, Woman with a Pearl Necklace, we observe an elegantly dressed young woman who seems to be adorning herself with a pearl necklace,

and gazing out a window. Back-lit furniture obstructs our view of the lower left portion of the work,

accentuating the young woman gazing out the window. The outside light source fills the room and

illuminates her figure. Contrasting shadows are cast around the room, framing the presence of our

protagonist.