Modern Girls Writing Letters

Giovanni Boldini 1

Young Woman WritingDate?Larin, Guilloux and Buffetaud, ParisOil on panel23 x 16.5 cm 
The lady here is turned away from her viewer, eschewing contact, refusing to let us into her room. She writes furiously, alone in the bare but opulent room, covered in rich textile. We're spying into a quiet, private moment, much the way we're a bit voyeuristic looking into Vermeer's A Lady Writing. In Vermeer's work, though, at least our glance is met, our presence is not a secret. Here, our only fate is to look on, as she ignores us, or as she concentrates so hard on her task that she doesn't hear us. 
In portraying quiet moments of solitude as a lady writes a letter, thinking of Vermeer is all but impossible. Who knows how much Vermeer influenced Boldini, or if he was privy to the painting that preceded his. The reference, though is a clear one. As the lady concentrates, her task is elevated, she becomes Vermeer's modern woman: a highlighted lady in rich fabrics, concentrating upon her task so that we may never read her expression. 

Milton Avery 2

Girl Writing, 1943

Oil on Canvas

48 x 31 3/4

In examining an artist's legacy, it is impossible to know how many works were spawned as a result. Here, in Milton Avery's Girl Writing, an anonymous girl turns her head toward her writing, and delves in. Her body position is turned from A Lady Writing, flipped so that she is facing the other way, however, she sits at a desk the same way. The vase is clearly seen behind her, but the other details are absent, taupe-green walls, plain floors. The hint of a near Vermeer-blue pops up behind her, supporting the vase of flowers. Again, she does not hear us, or she is ignoring us. She is lit in a stark white, with no source of light to be seen. The moment is quiet, despite all the bright details. This could well be a modern take on the Dutch painting, or at least the Dutch convention of painting letter writing.




1"Giovanni Boldini 's Young Woman Writing." John Singer Sargent Virtual Gallery. Web. 10 May 2011. <http://jssgallery.org/other_artists/boldini_giovanni/Young_Woman_Writing.htm>.
2 "Milton Avery - Girl Writing." The Phillips Collection. Web. 10 May 2011. <http://www.phillipscollection.org/research/american_art/artwork/Avery-Girl_Writing.htm>.

Intellectuals

The Guitar Player
c. 1670-72
oil on canvas
20 1/4 x 18 1/4 in. (53 x 46.3 cm.)
Kenwood, English Heritage as
Trustees of the Iveagh Bequest


Painted a few years after A Lady Writing, this Vermeer shows a woman in that same yellow and fur jacket engaged in an intellectual activity much like writing. She is pictured also in a Dutch interior showcasing fabric, white walls, and a painting in the background. This painting, however, is not obscured, rather it is a clear landscape. Her body faces the opposite was as in many Vermeers, and she does not see the viewer, she instead looks to her right, engaged in playing her guitar. The color scheme is similar to A Lady Writing, as is the scale of the composition, and the fact that the woman is performing an intellectual task. 


"THE GUITAR PLAYER by Johannes Vermeer." Essential Vermeer. Web. 9 May 2011. <http://www.essentialvermeer.com/catalogue/guitar_player.html>.

Literacy in the Netherlands

The Love Letter 1

c. 1667-1670
oil on canvas
17 3/8 x 15 1/8 in. (44 x 38.5.cm)
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

"With the unparalleled surge in literacy in the Netherlands, common women, for the first time, committed their feelings to paper. First person statements in the Dutch Republic, including letter writing, private diaries, journals, soul searching poems and self-portraits, proliferated far beyond their Renaissance role in aristocratic culture."2


Jonathon Janson, essentialvermeer.com


In reference to The Love Letter, circa 1667-1670, this passage from essentialvermeer.com is also applicable to A Lady Writing. The newly important trend of literacy and letter writing and reading is important for understanding when Vermeer felt so comfortable painting women reading and writing. The same colors as in A Lady Writing are available in this painting, though the girl is not alone. There is a communication between the maid and the mistress, just as there is a conversation between the lady and the audience in A Lady Writing. 


1 "Love Letter - Rijksmuseum Amsterdam - Museum for Art and History." Rijksmuseum Amsterdam - Museum of Art and History. Web. 8 May 2011. <http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/aria/aria_assets/SK-A-1595?lang=en>.
2 Janson, Jonathon. "THE LOVE LETTER by Johannes Vermeer." Essential Vermeer. Web. 8 May 2011. <http://www.essentialvermeer.com/catalogue/love_letter.html>.

Vermeer's Women

Vermeer1
Woman in Blue Reading a Letter, c. 1662-1665
oil on canvas
18 1/4 x 15 3/8 in. (46.5 x 39 cm.)
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam


The composition of Woman in Blue Reading a Letter  is strikingly similar to that of A Lady Writing. In both, a woman's body faces an unseen light source as she partakes in an activity. Chairs sit behind and around her, a map/artwork hangs on the far wall. Vermeer's typical blue shows up, as does the special lighting one comes to recognize as Vermeer's. Many of the women Vermeer paints are in this same basic position, in the same color garments, in similar interior settings. Like The Milkmaid, this woman is entranced in her activity, though it is probably not an incredibly important one, though the reader will never know what kind of letter she reads here. This sense of mystery harkens back to most of the Vermeer paintings, and specifically A Lady Writing. 

Johannes Vermeer 2
Woman Holding a Balance, c. 1664
National Gallery of Art
Widener Collection


Again, this same composition is referenced in Vermeer's other work. The light from the left, woman highlighted in the center-right, engaged in a task. Humble and quiet, Vermeer captures a silent moment in which the viewer cannot tell exactly what the woman thinks while she holds the balance. The painting behind her is obscured, the "so-called picture-within-a-picture that appears on the back wall portrays a Last Judgment," (Janson3) by an unknown artist. The woman's pregnant body references Mary, as the ray of sunshine hits her belly and chest, creating an eerie, heavenly highlight, referencing the immaculate conception. 

Vermeer4
Woman With a Pearl Necklace
c. 1664
oil on canvas
21 5/8 x 17 3/4 in. (55 x 45 cm.)
Staatliche Museen Preußischer
Kulturbesitz, Gemäldegalerie, Berlin


In this painting, the woman wears the same treasured yellow and fur jacket that Vermeer paints in A Lady Writing. This time, though, the woman is unaware of the audience, staring into the mirror at herself, primping and putting on a beautiful pearl necklace. With the signature intensity of Vermeer's womens' stares, she concentrates on her reflection, but again with a contemplative, meditative stare. The woman painted looks remarkably similar to the woman in A Lady Writing, as well. Interestingly, the girl is painted in full profile, which is not too common for Vermeer to paint. 




1 Janson, Jonathon. "WOMAN IN BLUE READING A LETTER by Johannes Vermeer."Essential Vermeer. Web. 8 May 2011. <http://www.essentialvermeer.com/catalogue/woman_in_blue_reading_a_letter.html>.
2 "NGA | Vermeer | Woman Holding a Balance | A Moment Captured." National Gallery of Art. Web. 8 May 2011. <http://www.nga.gov/feature/vermeer/moment1.shtm>.
3 Janson, Jonathon. "WOMAN HOLDING A BALANCE by Johannes Vermeer." Essential Vermeer. Web. 8 May 2011. <http://www.essentialvermeer.com/catalogue/woman_holding_a_balance.html>.
4Web Gallery of Art, Image Collection, Virtual Museum, Searchable Database of European Fine Arts (1000-1850). Web. 8 May 2011. <http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/v/vermeer/03a/19woman.html>.

Vermeer's Milkmaid

Vermeer uses the same color palette in most of his paintings, which, like Rembrandt or Rubens, is often an indication of an artist's style of work. In The Milkmaid, Vermeer repeats his yellows and blues, and most importantly, repeats the way the light falls on those colors.

Vermeer 
The Milkmaid, c. 1658-1661
17 7/8 x 16 1/8 in. (45.5 x 41 cm.)
The Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam


The quiet moment of the milkmaid carefully and gracefully pouring the milk into a container is easily overlooked if you're used to seeing the massive history paintings of Titian or Rubens, but the painting has so many gems. First, the colors Vermeer uses are beautiful, even pointlessly beautiful, as a milkmaid probably would not have donned this expensive blue apron. The humble moment, like writing a letter, is transformed into a blissful task. The viewer is aware of the meditative quality of the activity, again as in A Lady Writing. The slightly dingy background contrasts the beautiful colors. The sunlight through the window is coming in from the same angle and side that it enters the composition of A Lady Writing. 




Janson, Jonathon. "THE MILKMAID by Johannes Vermeer." Essential Vermeer. Web. 8 May 2011. <http://www.essentialvermeer.com/catalogue/milkmaid.html>.

Vermeer and Love Letters

The subject of women writing love letters was in vogue at the time Vermeer painted A Lady Writing. Several artists in the same general time span painted women writing letters, ostensibly to suitors.

Gabriel Metsu 1

A Woman Writing a Letter, c. 1662–4
Oil on panel, 39.4 x 31.1cm
Image © IGRAT 2006 LLC

Gerard ter Borch 2

Woman Writing a Letter, c. 1655

Oil on panel, 39 x 29.5 cm

The convention of painting women who write letters to their loved ones or to suitors could have directly influenced Vermeer in painting A Lady Writing. Certainly he broke conventions at the time, but if this style was a popular one, it would not have been surprising for a gentleman painter to paint something along these lines. Since these two paintings were most likely painted before Vermeer painted his, they could definitely have influenced his decision.

1 "Gabriel Metsu at the National Gallery of Ireland | A Woman Writing a Letter." National Gallery of Ireland | 'Gabriel Metsu - Rediscovered Master of the Dutch Golden Age'Web. 8 May 2011. <http://www.gabrielmetsuexhibition.com/gallery.php?img=aWomanWritingALetter>.

2 Woman Writing a Letter. 1655. Mauritshuis, The Royal Picture Gallery, The Hague.Mauritshuis Museum. Web. 8 May 2011. <http://www.mauritshuis.nl/index.aspx?chapterid=2347&contentID=18297&CollectieZoekKunstenaarSsOtName=Achternaam&CollectieZoekKunstenaarSsOv=Borch%&KunstenaarSsOtName=Achternaam&KunstenaarSsOv=Borch%&kunstenaar=Gerard%20ter%20Borch&naamKunstenaar=GerardBorch>.

Vermeer's Modern Legacy

Asking what Vermeer's relevance is in the Post-Postmodern world is a tricky question to answer. Certainly, Vermeer is known for his ability to create a stunning light, a humble moment of quietude, and some very interesting ladies, but what more inspires artists in this day and age? Hendrik Kerstens, a modern day photographer in Amsterdam, who has won awards and been published several times, takes a slightly different message from Vermeer.

Kerstens' photographs are inspired by 17th century Dutch artists, most notably Vermeer.

Kerstens takes his photographs of his daughter, who poses much like Vermeer's women do. The stare that might be unpleasant, yet transfixing, is captured perfectly. In A Lady Writing, the lady stares with the same intensity as does the subject in Kerstens works. The legacy of the mysteriousness and the intensity of that facial expression is easily reinterpreted as a modern one. He also imbues the serious portraits with some pretty wonderful humor.


http://www.hendrikkerstens.com/index.html

Vermeer and the Portrait II

Vermeer's talent for secrecy inspires more and more thought about who the lady in A Lady Writing was supposed to be, or, rather, how the lady was to be portrayed.

Frans Hals
Portrait of an Elderly Lady, 1633
Andrew W. Mellon Collection
1937.1.67


In a portrait of an unknown elderly lady by Frans Hals, the woman clutches a small book, maybe a bible. That she holds something dear to her, or something that may have identified her is similar to the lady holding the quill in her hand as she writes. The meaning of the writing could certainly be about the lady's affinity for writing or learning, though it could as easily reference absorption in another task, so that the viewer is guessing as to what her emotion is. 






"Portrait of an Elderly Lady - Image." National Gallery of Art. Web. 08 May 2011. <http://www.nga.gov/fcgi-bin/timage_f?object=74>.

Vermeer and the Portrait

A Lady Writing has been claimed a portrait by some scholars because the pose she is takes shows her face so clearly, and because there are distinguishing characteristics that are absent from other Vermeers. Others say the lady is his wife, who was not necessarily having a portrait done, rather modeling for her husband.

Comparing A Lady Writing to other portraits around the same time is an interesting task. For one, artists had their own conventions for portrait painting; Rembrandt, for example, paints portraits with a harsh, yet realistic, eye, showcasing the "individual" (read: ugly, unflattering) features of his subjects. That's what makes a Rembrandt a Rembrandt, though. An example of this is his portrait of his wife, Saskia.

Rembrandt van Rijn 1
Saskia van Uylenburgh, the Wife of the Artist, probably begun 1634/1635 and completed 1638/1640
Widener Collection
1942.9.711


Rembrandt's portrait of his beloved wife Saskia is typical of Rembrandt's portraits. Not too flattering, but probably captured the essence of Saskia. Her distinctive eyes and nose, her rosy cheeks, her small parted mouth. She looks at the viewer, as does the lady in Vermeer's A Lady Writing. In fact, the facial positions are not so different from one another. Much of the face is visible, distinctive features are focused on, and not a whole lot besides the face is important in the painting. Again, the light is anticipatory of Vermeer's: highlighted on the face, then faded to darkness in the background. This painting even takes that one step further: the veil that Saskia wears may have been an actual possession, like the yellow jacket that Vermeer both painted and owned. 


On the National Gallery website, an unknown author writes, 


"Whether in quickly rendered studies of his own face or in carefully modeled commissioned portraits, Rembrandt captured the emotional and psychological character of his subjects as well as their physical appearance."2


Here, in his portrait of Saskia, that is certainly true, and anticipates the depth in which Vermeer will paint his own portraits, conveying much the same emotional complexity, though with anonymity rather than identification. Mariet Westermann also says the Rembrandt's penetrating portraits and drawings, specifically of children and Saskia, "anticipate the intimacy of Johannes Vermeer."3




1"Saskia Van Uylenburgh, the Wife of the Artist." National Gallery of Art. Web. 07 May 2011. <http://www.nga.gov/fcgi-bin/tinfo_f?object=1210>.
2"NGA - Strokes of Genius: Rembrandt's Prints and Drawings - Portriats." National Gallery of Art. Web. 07 May 2011. <http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2006/genius/portraits.shtm>.
3Westermann, Mariet. "4." Rembrandt. London: Phaidon, 2000. 146. Print.

Vermeer and Rembrandt

The fact that Vermeer kept his viewer slightly uninformed is probably the least like something that Rembrandt would do. Rembrandt kept the world informed about his aging face, his sagging skin. His many self-portraits paint a diary of his life.

Vermeer, however, may have taken a few hints from Rembrandt in the way he painted.

Rembrandt van Rijn 1
Self-Portrait, 1659
Andrew W. Mellon Collection
1937.1.72


The darkened background and the sunlight in A Lady Writing calls to mind a self-portrait Rembrandt painted late in his life. Although the painting styles couldn't be more different, Rembrandt and Vermeer seem to have treated light in similar ways. Painted several years before the Vermeer was painted, Rembrandt painted this portrait most likely without the camera obscura's help, though the opposite has been argued for Vermeer. In Rembrandt's case, it could well have been a stylistic choice,  or really, it could have been that his eyes were failing him at this point. We will never know. The legacy of this choice, though, has been a relevant one ever since. Vermeer's light often surpasses Rembrandt's, but the convention was broken by Rembrandt. He fuzzes over the unimportant details, just letting the viewer see enough of his face, his hair, his hat.

Another thing that may well have influenced Vermeer is the way Rembrandt loved to portray people lost in thought. His etching of Jan Six reading by a window strikes me as similar to A Lady Writing.

Rembrandt van Rijn 2
The Portrait of Jan Six Reading
1647
342 x 194 mm.

The etching obviously doesn't use the glowing yellows and blues of the Vermeer, but it does relate to the lady's face and attention. Here, Jan Six is entranced in his reading, but more importantly, his expression cannot be read because his attention is elsewhere. We will never know what exactly he was reading or what he thought of the text. These are the same issues and curiosities associated with Vermeer's A Lady Writing. Rembrandt broke conventions stylistically as well as in his paintings' meanings, and Vermeer followed suit. The influence may not have been a direct one to Rembrandt's work, but the association of the two is striking.


1"Self-Portrait - Image." National Gallery of Art. Web. 07 May 2011. <http://www.nga.gov/fcgi-bin/timage_f?object=79>.
2"XXXXXX by Rembrandt Van Rijn." Rembrandt Van Rijn: Life and Work. Web. 07 May 2011. <http://www.rembrandtpainting.net/rmbrdnt_selected_etchings/six.htm>.

Illusion v. Vermeer

Vermeer's A Lady Writing is meant to invite the audience in, rather than to trick the audience into thinking she is real. The opposite, however, was popular in the Dutch 17th century market.

The painter Gabriel Metsu comes to mind- the illusions he painted were meant to be shown to trick an audience.  Common in 17th century Dutch households, these illusion paintings boast a reference to the stories from antiquity about paintings tricking the viewer. This painting convention is what Vermeer surpassed; where these paintings trick the viewer into thinking they are in real space, Vermeer draws his audience in, making them think they complete his composition.

Gabriel Metsu 1

Still Life with a Dead Rooster, c. 1655-1658 

oil on panel 

unframed: 57 x 39.8 cm (22 7/16 x 15 3/4 in.) 

Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid 

This Still Life shows a dead and lifeless rooster, once magnificent, now hanging limp. The reference to mortality is an obvious one, showcasing the fate of everyone and everything: death. Although the mortality reference is the first thing that comes to a modern analyst, when it was painted, it would probably have been showcased as an illusion to the viewer. 

Another example of an illusion painting is this one from the NGA.

Willem van Aelst 2

Still Life with Dead Game, 1661

Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund

1982.36.1

This painting, like the Metsu, references mortality directly. These animals, once spry and full of life, now hang, lifeless, from the top of the painting. The once bright colors, the formerly rich furs are now for consumption. Taunting the viewer, the proclaim the fate of all living things. 

Also like the Metsu, this game painting could have been hung in a dark interior so that the owner could trick friends, tipsy friends, into thinking that the animals hang from his walls, rather than on the canvas. Interestingly enough, the convention of painting such a scene influences artists still. Australian born, German schooled Marian Drew sets up still lives like these and photographs them, focusing on how they reinterpret Dutch paintings from the 17th century.

Pelican with Turnips

Crow with Salt

Kitchen View with Mask 3

Understanding how art directly influences other art hundreds of years later is always an interesting thing. A spark from the original style just hits a modern artist. This particular example is interesting because it shows that 17th century Dutch paintings are very relevant, and their meanings can be surprisingly modern. Humans will always have fears about their mortality, they will always cry and get angry. Humans will always want to speak to their loved ones, and have a quiet moment by themselves. That is where this relates to Vermeer. Modern audiences will always love Vermeer's works because it speaks to the humanness of being human. It elevates the droning tasks we do, and it is enchanting. A Lady Writing will always only be a woman writing by herself, just glancing at the viewer, but it will also always be a moment that many people can look at and recognize as being something they do, or something they have done. According to author Michael Kimmelman "...Vermeer eternalized moments that we all live, the ones when nothing much is happening, and gave them an almost mystical gravity.4" The relevancy of these Dutch paintings is surprising and amazing- they can up stand hundreds of years of technology changes and social conventions changing and still strike a modern viewer as familiar.



1Home - Marian Drew. Web. 10 May 2011. <http://mariandrew.com.au/index.php?mact=Album,m4,default,1>.

2"National Gallery Gabriel Metsu, 1629-1667." National Gallery of Art. NAtional Gallery of Art, 18 Apr. 2011. Web. 7 May 2011. <http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3116/3116_list.pdf>.

*3"Dead Rooster Giclee Print by Gabriel Metsu at Art.com." Art.com - Posters, Art Prints, and Framed Art Leader. Web. 07 May 2011. <http://www.art.com/products/p15268674-sa-i3630758/gabriel-metsu-dead-rooster.htm>.

"Still Life with Dead Game." National Gallery of Art. Web. 07 May 2011. <http://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/gg47/gg47-61174.html>.

4Kimmelman, Michael. "Jan Vermeer." The New York Times. 4 May 2009. Web. 10 May 2011. <http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/v/jan_vermeer/index.html>.

*Note: I apologize for the image quality and the source! Some of the Metsu paintings are hard to get ahold of. 

A Lady Writing

Johannes Vermeer

A Lady Writing, c. 1665

Detail, A Lady Writing


Her yellow coat. The sunshine dripping over her face. The gleaming hardware on the chest.

The first glance into Johannes Vermeer's A Lady Writing is laden with detail.  That glance so soon becomes utter enchantment with the quietude of the painting. The eye darts from detail to detail, trying to capture the essence of a Vermeer, collecting the jewels that shine in the painted sunlight.

The small nook of the room in the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, which houses this painting is cozy enough to entertain only a few viewers at a time. The other Vermeers in the room are equally stunning, though very small. It is easy to make this room a favorite in the maze-like gallery. The tiny treasure chest of Vermeers satisfies what a large, drafty room often cannot: an intimate moment with a painting you can take in immediately, then spend hours dissecting. Something about walking up to a small painting and staring right into the depth of it satiates a viewer. The work of art is monumental only in it's ability to hold captive the viewer, as is the room which holds it.

The painting itself is simply full of concrete and emotional detail. First, the yellow coat with the spotted fur trim grabs the eye, just as in the painting right next to this one, the lady's red hat is attention seeking.

Around the girl, there is a yellow glow similar to the color of the coat. Her face is lit, and the bows in her hair shine. Reflections from her pen and the chest on the table gleam. Then, as if a cloud has moved just in front of the sun, the rest of the canvas fades to navy and brown, accented on slightly with the taupe highlights on the wall. Vermeer is said to be a painter of light; the essence of a Vermeer has so much to do with the painterly capture of the perfect light. It turns a milkmaid into a Madonna, a task into a quest. The girl writing the letter is illuminated just so. She holds her pen loosely, as if she is taking a break from her writings. The regal chair captures just a bit of light, she is transformed into a queen, or a princess at least. She sits in her throne, swaddled in fur and satin, surrounded by the gold in her hair, light bouncing off her pearl earrings. She is healthy, glowing.

Not only is she vibrant, she is smart. She can read and write, and she has the luxury of time to do her writings. Her hand loosely holds the pen, she is taking a break, humoring our presence in her room. Maybe she is trying to think of the right word, just glancing up from her writing, maybe she is defending her ability to read and write. The air of mystery surrounds her, as it often does in Vermeer's works.

That sense of mystery is carried over into the room she where she works. She sits in a dark interior, with no glowing candles. The large painting behind her is obscured just enough to let the viewer know he won't really ever understand the whole of this painting. Small items can be identified, such as the yellow jacket she wears, but the letter cannon be read, if that is in fact what she writes, the painting is obscured, the source of light, even, is out of view. Vermeer's hold on the meanings of the painting and the writing is telling; he keeps the viewer just out of the loop. These taunting details are common among Vermeer's paintings- his lack of a self-portrait is the most famous example of his mysterious life and painting.

"A Lady Writing - Image." National Gallery of Art. Web. 10 May 2011. <http://www.nga.gov/fcgi-bin/timage_f?object=46437>.