The Art of Vermeer
Johannes Vermeer’s The Milkmaid 1658
On a recent trip to Amsterdam to research my next book, More than Tulips: Van Gogh, Rembrandt and Dutch Culture, I was so amazed with the Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer. There was something about his art that captured me. Vermeer created 60 paintings in total with only 34 surviving, including one of his most famous paintings Girl with a Pearl Earring. I was fortunate to have a semi-private tour of the Rijksmuseum to focus on Rembrandt for my book research. However, Vermeer held my attention. One painting of his, The Milkmaid 1658, stopped me in my tracks. Our guide zoomed in on the milk being poured and it was perfect. Did he use a magnifying glass to paint? How did he make it look so real? During this time painters employed apprentices to mix their paint. It was chemistry of a sort to get the right combination of pigment and linseed oil to produce the correct texture of paint. Other elements in the painting revealed practices of the day. In the right lower corner of The Milkmaid is a footwarmer box. Inside are hot coals that the women used to put under their dresses to keep warm. Footwarmers frequently suggest feminine desire in Dutch genre paintings. This is an intimate element added that Vermeer wants us to see.
I walked through the Rijksmuseum gallery where Van Gogh once strolled in awe of some of the Dutch masters, however it was The Milkmaid that stood out. Most of the subject matter featured in Dutch Golden Age art were Protestant merchants or wealthy couples. Although some genre painting was done at the time, Vermeer was at the forefront. Why a milkmaid? Such a regular person to be in the company of wealthy merchants. At that time in Dutch culture white bread signified the wealthy and brown bread the working class. The milkmaid’s bread is brown in the painting which reflects her social standing. In contrast, Frans Hals’ precision in capturing the beautiful white lace collars of the wealthy, or the stunning still lives with elements from the orient and exotic spices, or Rembrandt’s Militia company in his famous painting The Night Watch 1642 conveyed the lifestyle of affluent.
The Milkmaid was just a regular kitchen worker. At that time subject matter had evolved from heroes and religious themes (under Spanish Catholic rule) to portraying the wealthy merchants and lifestyle under Dutch rule. Vermeer brought it one step further to the subject of regular people. I am glad. Some of my ancestors came from the Netherlands and they were not wealthy so perhaps this is a nod to them and to all the working class.