Jan Vermeer, The Milkmaid, 1658

I would not call her the picture of adolescent beauty. To be honest I think Vermeer used an Olympic male swimmer to model for her shoulders. I mean, come on, you don’t get muscles like those milking cows. Or maybe you do? I might live in Kansas, but I do stay a fair distance away from cows. She is not even the focus of the painting though. Our direction is drawn to her hands, the chore she is performing. Her devoutness to the household she serves. The emotional pull towards the painting comes from her honest and hard work.

Vermeer’s works consist mainly of scenes depicting wealthy families, clothed in fine robes and furs, taking part in things exclusively for the privileged, i.e. The Music Lesson. However, the scene here strikes the viewer as entirely different. The intimacy within the painting cannot be missed. Where there used to be a wall separating the viewer from the scene, Vermeer chooses to allow the Milkmaid to solely encompass the scene. He is able to take something so domestic, so mundane and make it feel like a piece of heaven -  something sacred and special. He takes care in panting every detail because he realizes its importance to the painting as a whole. The window adds light and warmth to the scene, the copper pot and basket relate back to the milkmaid’s act, and lastly the foot warmer in the corner shows the maids diligence in performing her job.

The colors in the painting appear calmer than the ones characteristic to Vermeer. Simple blues, whites, and yellows. It is almost as if Vermeer is saying look what I can do with a limited palate, look what I can create. The single silhouette against the bare wall, the vessels, breads and baskets all shine in the light that pours in from the window. The objects all have points where shimmering light hits them, and Vermeer’s talent is exemplified. I marvel at the young woman's steady hand and concentrated stare, for there are times I wish I had such dedication to my homework. Or really anything these days. Senioritis is a thing and it's pretty debilitating; however, looking at The Milkmaid gives me the motivation to go on.