The Milkmaid - Jan Vermeer




















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The milkmaid is loveingly painted with painstaking detail the bread shows every shadow and almost every grain of wheat within its structure, while the basket it is sitting in shows every part of the weaving that it took to create it. By now Vermeer is maturing and finding his feet within what was always his primary passion, the interplay of light and shadow and the affect is had on his subjects.
The light on the wall behind his subject positively sings out at the viewer van Vermeer have a reason for painting it this bright? Is it possible that Vermeer is saying here is a woman in an honest occupation and doing an honest days work by almost showing her with a halo of light around her much like the Byzantine artists depicted saints. Or is it merely Jan playing with light and shade? So many of his works have a moral to them for example, the girl asleep at the table and the procuress this painting could be one more offering.