It can be hard to explain how an ordinary act or a simple moment in time can still take on such a profound level beauty.
After all, when we first go looking for great art - we are so often seeking something “sublime”; from Turner’s blazing sunsets, to Van Gogh’s Starry Nights, to the sheer awe of Michelangelo’s Sistine Frescoes or the mysterious beauty of Leonardo da Vinci’s women.
And of course, this is what great art is all about - a painting that demands our attention. And in many cases, it does not matter if the image we are observing is inspiring or terrifying . . . as long as it makes us feel.
Yet, every so often, we find a painting that achieves all the same sense of the sublime - but through understatement, rather than bombast. Or through simplicity rather than complexity.
And that is exactly what we find in today’s masterpiece by Johannes Vermeer.
“A woman pouring a jug of milk into a container, with a basket of bread in front of her.”
If we were to hear about this work in description alone, without ever having seen it before . . . it does not exactly sound riveting, does it!
And admittedly, it is not exactly a large canvas either - measuring only 45 × 41 cm (Roughly 17 × 16 inches). Hence it cannot rely on capturing our attention through scale or monumental stature either.
And yet, from the moment our eyes meet this masterpiece, it is like a magnetic force draws us closer.
The detail . . . the colouring . . . the textures . . . the sense of quiet dignity and grace . . .
Truly, every inch of it seems to hold almost indescribable shades of beauty.
And of course, we can’t help wondering what this woman may be thinking as she pours the milk so steadily into the earthenware container.
Is she remembering something from her past?
Is she taking such care over her work because she will soon be serving it to someone she loves?
Is she humming a gentle song to herself?
Is she noticing that this act of hers almost as an allegory for the passing of time? (i.e. that life itself is always pouring slowly away for us)
Truly, the possibilities are endless. So, as always, I really hope you will all feel free to share your own ideas in the comments today too.
But before we bring this article to a close, I also want us to zoom in a little on some of the other details here; if only to further marvel at Vermeer’s astonishing painterly skill.
Of course, they offer us cause for philosophical or symbolic interpretations too - for example, the wonderful idea that our milkmaid is using this stale bread in order to make a sweet bread pudding (which many believe to be symbolic of how we can take something “useless” or “unpleasant” in this life - and, like an alchemist turning lead to gold, still transmute this into something more pleasurable again)
Yet underneath it all, the wonderful thing about this painting is that it seems to offer us everything - while still demanding nothing.
Hence, if we want to imagine all those endless narratives in our milkmaid’s downcast eyes, or discuss all the depths of symbolism which could be here . . . Vermeer certainly gives us more than enough material to work with.
But alternatively, if we simply want to appreciate the painter’s talent - or escape into the quiet peace of this every day scene - or smile at how sublime beauty itself can appear in such unexpected ways . . . these are all perfect ways of experiencing this masterpiece too.
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Frankly, with an artist like this - we can find everything we need on a single viewing; and yet, even after a lifetime of returning to the same moment . . . he can still surprise us.
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I see process and potential symbolized throughout this painting. To the upper left we have a wicker basket in which the bread was brought home from the market. The open milk pitcher, its interior directly facing the viewer, is in the middle left of the picture but the final symbol of potential, the cup, within a former tea crate, is in the lower right.
What I sense may be alluded to here is a passage of time from past (basket), present (jug) and future (cup). This sequence allows the eyes to naturally move from upper left to lower right, from the heights of heaven (where all blessings of food originate) to the realms of the world below it, suggesting the path of a sunbeam (especially since the window is also in the upper left).
Normally the focus of interest in historical painting has been found in the center to center right of vision. The left (or sinister) has been associated with imbalance and unrest. Why did the painter then lavish so much attention on this side?
My guess is that he wanted to show the progress of creation, of forward motion, in such a way that it ends up on the right side, that change and progression lead to the future.
Notice, too, that the cup is almost entirely hidden away, a seemingly insignificant piece of the scene. This may be the view that because the future is unknown it’s hidden from us.
Finally the rich use of blue in the gentle folds of the woman’s garment, the peaceful concentration of her face and the care given to ensure none of the liquid is wasted in spills suggests mother, possibly the Virgin, nurturing her young in addition to creating food for herself and her husband.
The gradation of deep blue to the gold in her upper garment to the white of her wimple gives a sense of stability to the painting as well as implies an upward flow of energy, possibly thanks, towards the source of all she’s received, bringing the eye naturally back to the window and thus the sky.
It’s almost as though the painter here is depicting a devout form of prayer, of thanks, for the food about to be eaten.
You said everything, beautifully, on this piece. With Vermeer you get a sense also in his paintings of a man taking his time, slowly and thoughtfully considering every detail, no sense of being in a rush ever, and I feel that energy transfers to the viewer. We always take our time, usually in silence, to absorb every detail, just as I imagine he painted.
Oh and what is the purpose of the box on the floor? It’s the prettiest mouse trap I have ever seen⁉️