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johannas vermeer - the milk maid
Fig.1. Johannas Vermeer: The Milkmaid. (1658-1661)
- Dated 1660
- Oil on canvas
- Currently in the Rijksmuseum - Amsterdam
- 45 x 41 cm
- Portrait of a woman.
- Woman dressed in a colourful maids uniform.
- Pouring a white (milk?) liquid from a terracotta jug, into a terracotta bowl.
- Woman well built/young.
- Table to the left of the image, covered by a table cloth, on top, a still life with bread in a wicker basket, bread pieces, a cloth and another blue/black ceramic jug.
- Textured off white walls.
- Nails/holes can be seen on the walls.
- Widow to the upper left of the painting.
- Basket hung on the wall to the left, with a gold coloured object - possibly a lamp?
- Photo frame? hung above the basket.
- Wooden box on the floor.
- Images on the tiles behind box.
- Cool toned image, peaceful calm feel.
- Main colours - blues, greens, whites, yellows, browns, reds.
- Paint appears to have been applied with heavy impasto, paint has cracked adding texture.
- Women doesn't own the home, but is a servant to the owner.
- Pouring milk into a dutch oven.
- Broken pieces of bread are stale and are being used to make bread pudding (theory by Harry Rand). May have been making something much simpler.
- Maid is taking great care pouring the milk.
- Box on the floor is actually a foot warmer, probably being used to heat up the kitchen.
- Most middle class houses would have two kitchens, one for hot foods and the older for cold. Kitchen was probably the only one in this house and not properly heated for the type of food she is making - foot warmer would help to heat.
- Foot warmer can be seen as a symbol of female virtue - popular literature presented the item as a favourite of Dutch women, not valued by men.
- Usually used by women when seated - can also represent the hard working, industrious nature of the standing maid.
- Painting has ethical and social value - representing a hard working maid. One of the strongest values of 17th century Netherlands was domestic virtue which is being depicted here.
- Maid hasn't been identified - none of Vermeer's sitters are known from his paintings.
- She would have been a kitchen maid, not a milk maid as the name suggests. A milk maid's job would be the milking of cows.
- Maid may have been Vermeer's own house maid - Tenneke Everpoel.
- Was not meant as a portrait if it is his own maid.
- Maids often represented as dangerous women, threatening the honour and security of the home (in dutch emblematic and popular literature).
- Kitchen and milk maids were known for their sexual availability.
- Vermeer represents the maid in a neutral, dignified way, rather than the promiscuous depictions at this time (were depicted this way in kitchen and market scenes by artists from Antwerp).
- Maids were usually depicted as pretty females alongside various erotic (apparently) actions, such as inserting cooking implements into chickens. Onions were seen as erotic symbols and had a reputation for being aphrodisiacs. Wide mouth jugs also carried symbolic properties -suggestive of the female form.
- He uses a limited colour palette compares to his contemporaries.
- He used extremely expensive ultra marine - which is made of crushed lapis lazuli and was imported from Afghanistan - other artists used the cheaper azurite.
- Vermeer would use a monochrome base before applying each layer one colour at a time.
- The walls appear off white due to a range of different grey pigments being used to add texture and tone.
- Vermeer used white lead, umber and charcoal black to build up white objects - a technique commonly used among his contemporaries.
- Created layer by layer - often used wet on wet paint technique.
- Costume of the maid would have been a traditional maid uniform, with traditional colours and cap.
- Also has symbolic meaning - temperance shown through a female figure pouring liquid from one vessel to another, the maid also takes on a very solemn pose.
- Other artists including temperance warning disguised as genre figures in their paintings.
- Purity is alluded to by the copper pot hanging on the wall - a super clean vessel was a sign of purity in early Netherlandish annunciation paintings.
- Hard work is expressed throughout the painting by depicting a working environment.
- Blue and white glazed tiles typical of Vermeer's home city - Delph. Images of cupid can be seen on the tiles - cupid has been said to be a reference to sexual thought and availability.
- Objects in the painting do not distract from the milk maid and her devotional gestures.
bibliography
Artble. (s.d) Johannas Vermeer Style and Technique. At: http://www.artble.com/artists/johannes_vermeer/more_information/style_and_technique (Accessed on 20.09.15)
Bazin, Germain. (1998) Baroque and Rococo. London: Thames and Hudson.
Chilvers, Ian. (2009) 'Vermeer, Jan' definition. In: Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 4th ed. United States: Oxford University Press.
Encyclopaedia of Art Education. (s.d) The Milkmaid, Jan Vermeer: Analysis, Interpretation. At: http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/famous-paintings/milkmaid.htm (Accessed on: 19.09.15)
Essential Vermeer. (s.d) The Milkmaid by Johannas Vermeer. At:
http://www.essentialvermeer.com/catalogue/milkmaid.html#.VhD218ZZEUU (Accessed on 20.09.15)
Essential Vermeer. (s.d) Vermeer's Painting Technique: A Five Part Study. At: http://www.essentialvermeer.com/technique/technique_overview.html#.VhD2PsZZEUV (Accessed on 20.09.15)
Farthing, Stephen. (2014) Art The Whole Story. Reprint ed. UK: Thames and Hudson.
Hall, James. (2008) Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art. 2nd ed. USA: Westview Press.
Harris, Jonathan. (2008) Art History The Key Concepts. Reprint ed. USA/Canada: Routledge.
Janvermeer.org. (s.d) The Milkmaid, 1658 by Jan Vermeer. At: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/milk/hd_milk.htm (Accessed on 21.09.15)
Metmuseum.org. (2009) Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) and The Milkmaid. At:
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/milk/hd_milk.htm (Accessed on 20.09.15)
Murray, Peter & Murray, Linda. (1997) 'Vermeer, Jan' definition. In: Penguin Dictionary of Art and Artists. 7th ed. London: Penguin.
National Gallery. (s.d) Vermeer's Palette. At: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/research/meaning-of-making/vermeer-and-technique/vermeers-palette (Accessed on 20.09.15)
Rijksmuseum. (s.d) The Milkmaid, Johannas Vermeer. At: https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/SK-A-2344 (Accessed on: 20.09.15)
Spaans, Erik. (2013) Rijksmuseum Guide. Holland: Rijksmuseum.
Torres, Louis. (2009) The Curator Says It's About Sex: Walter Liedtke on the Meaning of Vermeer's Milkmaid [online] At: http://www.aristos.org/aris-09/liedtke-milkmaid.htm
Zuffi, Stephano. (2012) Colour in art. Belgium: Ludion.
Bazin, Germain. (1998) Baroque and Rococo. London: Thames and Hudson.
Chilvers, Ian. (2009) 'Vermeer, Jan' definition. In: Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 4th ed. United States: Oxford University Press.
Encyclopaedia of Art Education. (s.d) The Milkmaid, Jan Vermeer: Analysis, Interpretation. At: http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/famous-paintings/milkmaid.htm (Accessed on: 19.09.15)
Essential Vermeer. (s.d) The Milkmaid by Johannas Vermeer. At:
http://www.essentialvermeer.com/catalogue/milkmaid.html#.VhD218ZZEUU (Accessed on 20.09.15)
Essential Vermeer. (s.d) Vermeer's Painting Technique: A Five Part Study. At: http://www.essentialvermeer.com/technique/technique_overview.html#.VhD2PsZZEUV (Accessed on 20.09.15)
Farthing, Stephen. (2014) Art The Whole Story. Reprint ed. UK: Thames and Hudson.
Hall, James. (2008) Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art. 2nd ed. USA: Westview Press.
Harris, Jonathan. (2008) Art History The Key Concepts. Reprint ed. USA/Canada: Routledge.
Janvermeer.org. (s.d) The Milkmaid, 1658 by Jan Vermeer. At: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/milk/hd_milk.htm (Accessed on 21.09.15)
Metmuseum.org. (2009) Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) and The Milkmaid. At:
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/milk/hd_milk.htm (Accessed on 20.09.15)
Murray, Peter & Murray, Linda. (1997) 'Vermeer, Jan' definition. In: Penguin Dictionary of Art and Artists. 7th ed. London: Penguin.
National Gallery. (s.d) Vermeer's Palette. At: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/research/meaning-of-making/vermeer-and-technique/vermeers-palette (Accessed on 20.09.15)
Rijksmuseum. (s.d) The Milkmaid, Johannas Vermeer. At: https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/SK-A-2344 (Accessed on: 20.09.15)
Spaans, Erik. (2013) Rijksmuseum Guide. Holland: Rijksmuseum.
Torres, Louis. (2009) The Curator Says It's About Sex: Walter Liedtke on the Meaning of Vermeer's Milkmaid [online] At: http://www.aristos.org/aris-09/liedtke-milkmaid.htm
Zuffi, Stephano. (2012) Colour in art. Belgium: Ludion.
images
Fig.1. Johannas Vermeer: The Milkmaid. (1658-1661) At: http://www.essentialvermeer.com/catalogue/milkmaid.html#.VhD72MZZEUU (Accessed on 20.09.15)