Dec 10 2009
MET Meets Milkmaid
While at the MET doing research for an english paper, I ran across Vermeers “The Milkmaid.” This exhibit featured 36 paintings to put “The Milkmaid” into historical context. Before this I had never heard of Vermeer but the main attraction was easily recognizable. I chose to view this painting instead of going to a show because I thought it would be good to mix it up, the entire semester we have focused on shows and new and more innovative exhibits, I felt like we forget the beauty that still exists in traditional arts. After seeing the painting I did a little bit of research, and I was surprised to find that this was created in a time when milkmaids were often represented as lovers. It is interesting to think of this painting in this time period, but I do not see anything overtly (or subtly) sexual about this. Either way, like Salome by Regnault, it is deceptively simple with a understated beauty not found today; it is definitely worth stopping by to see this piece in person.
Wow, this is the third post I read about Vermeer. You, Chi, and Angela really got into this painting. I didn’t really think much of it until I read your three posts.
I completely agree with Alex. Everything is in the painting, including the slightest and smallest details such as the imperfections in the wall. Vermeer’s exhibit, by far, is something worth seeing!
I went to see the Vermeer exhibit as well. It was quite captivating the way he used vivid colors to exhibit such simple every things. Every painting I witnessed had little motifs sprinkled about which gave the whole a exhibit a subtle tone. It was very well organized exhibit in the fact that it compared the works of Vermeer and his peers.