The first painting we look at is “the Milkmaid” by Jan Vermeer. The official completion of the painting is unknown; however, the Metropolitan Museum of art estimates the date to be 1658-1659.[1] The Dutch woman in the painting is commonly known to be a housemaid, carefully pouring milk into a small container known as the ‘Dutch Oven’. The young sturdy woman is seen as doing one of her many daily routines; yet her facial expression sparks controversy: is she enjoying the chore by giving a slight smile, or is she biting her lips to express a sort of cautiousness? The answer does not reveal for a shadow conceals half her face. Through many days of discussion, a clear answer still does not prevail. Besides the debatable topic of the painting, a striking, yet minute detail stands in the right corner of the painting. The tiles behind the foot warmer depict cupid and a man with a pole. Coincidently, light passing through the window shines right on the cupid tile. A renowned conjecture is that the light shines on the cupid to express a sense of romance in the painting. The precision and accuracy Vermeer used to paint this portion was astounding because he was one of the first of his time to ever do this. Another key point people should keep in mind is what she is preparing. The painting is called “the Milkmaid”; however, she is doing work of a housemaid (milkmaids usually did work with cows outdoors). In the painting, it is evident that cut pieces of bread scatter around the table, which means that she is preparing more than just milk; furthermore, the painting suggests that she is making bread pudding, a kind of custard. This is significant because she is making a delectable treat for whomever with useless pieces of stale bread. The woman is expressing her humbleness through making a treat with bread that otherwise would have been wasted. A key technique Vermeer utilizes is setting a vantage point. He sets the vantage point on the right wrist of the woman to signify the importance of the pouring. He also sets up imaginary diagonal lines starting from the bottom corners to the center of her forehead forming a sort of pyramid. In conclusion, the techniques and unique style Vermeer had in his painting really made this painting a pivotal point in the art world for many people got inspired from his work.[2]
In the 17th century, women from the Netherlands were not so much involved in academics as they were involved in culinary skills and cleaning. This explains how many housemaids there were at the time, which shows that this woman was not uncommon among the other women at the time.
[1] "THE MILKMAID by Johannes Vermeer." Essential Vermeer. Web. 25 Apr. 2011. <http://www.essentialvermeer.com/catalogue/milkmaid.html>.
