Meditations on Gallery 614

 


Way in the back of the museum, about as far as you can get from the massive front steps is Gallery 614.  And in an unobtrusive  corner of that gallery is one of the most famous paintings is the western world, Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a Water Pitcher.  The day I was there I was practically alone in the gallery except for a troop of Chinese students and their Mandarin language teacher who floated through chattering and sweeping past the art in less than a minute.  Then I was free to contemplate the work.  

The first thing that strikes my eye is the blue of the woman's dress.  They Met has also thoughtfully painted the wall behind the painting blue and this makes the blue in the painting stand out even more. The lace framing the woman's head is also eye-catching and directs attention to her serene and contemplative face. Although she's busy holding the water pitcher and touching the window she appears very meditative and calm.

The stained glass window and the map on the wall behind her indicate that this is a well to do home.  This work was done during a Dutch golden age after decades of war and in which there was a flowering of trade and other economic activity and the arts and sciences.  Stained glass had been recently introduced as a result of this increased wealth. 

This work is extremely calming to gaze at.

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