“Thrush” (also “ Girl / woman / maid with a jug of milk ”, “The Cook ”) is a painting by the Dutch painter Jan Vermeer , the exact time of writing of which is unknown and approximately dates from the period of 1658-1661 [3] . One of the most famous works of the master, now stored in the Amsterdam State Museum .
| ||
| Jan Vermeer | ||
| Thrush . 1658—1660 | ||
| Het melkmeisje | ||
| Canvas, oil. 45.5 × 41 cm | ||
| State Museum , Amsterdam | ||
| ( inv. ) | ||
Content
History
“Thrush” stands out among the Dutch painting with its compositional simplicity. The theme of everyday life has already been raised earlier by artists such as De Hoch and Terborch , but Vermeer managed to create a unique work.
The figure of a woman with a jug contrasts sharply with an empty white wall in the background. The contour of the back of thrush highlighted by a thin white line for additional expressiveness. With the help of X-rays, we managed to find out that an object was originally placed on the wall - perhaps a map. It is not known for certain what prompted Vermeer to leave the wall empty. He probably did it in order not to load the picture with symbolism, or the usual white wall seemed to him to be a more expressive background for the female figure.
In 1669, the painting was sold for a large amount of money at that time - 175 florins . More expensive, only Delft View was rated at 200 florins. In the auction catalog of 1719 she was given a description: “the famous work of Vermeer Delft, a true work of art.”
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/SK-A-2344
- 2 1 2 https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/nl/collectie/SK-A-2344
- ↑ The Milkmaid by Johannes Vermeer . Essential Vermeer . The appeal date is September 13, 2009.
See also
- Culture of the Netherlands
Literature
- Arthur C. Wheelock. Jan Vermeer. - SPb. : Icar. - ISBN 5-8592-073-2.
Links
- Wikimedia Commons has media related to Thrush
- Detailed analysis of the picture