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>.