In honor of New York City’s 400th birthday, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has lent a piece of artwork to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. One single painting. Fittingly, it’s one done by the famous Dutch Artist, Johannes Vermeer and was painted not long after Henry first sailed up the Hudson. Mind you, it’s not the artist’s entire oeuvre, it’s just the one painting. The crown prince of the Netherlands himself proclaimed, “It is seen as an act of diplomacy not just between the Rijksmuseum and the Met, but between the Netherlands and the United States.” It’s only one painting! “The Milkmaid” didn’t exactly launch 1,000 ships.
Vermeer was born in 1632, close to the end of an 80-year Dutch revolt against Spanish rule. That’s one long war. It also encompassed the Thirty Years War which wrecked Europe and ended in 1648. The upshot of all that was a new Netherlands Republic in prime position to make lots of money in trade and shipping. Suddenly, even the lower classes had some disposable income and could afford to pimp out their cribs. The Dutch went art-crazy and the Golden Age of Dutch art was born.
Back to our ordinary Milkmaid. Johannes Vermeer became less interested in the grand history and religious (religion, after all, played no small part in all the recent waring) paintings that had been popular. He found dignity in the ordinary. To prove his point, he has rendered this common domestic in dramatic light which pours over the vibrant colors of her clothing. The painting takes on a jewel-like quality. Even the dish being prepared backs up his theme. She is making bread pudding which uses stale bread that would otherwise be discarded. Domestic virtue indeed!
The dignity of the common man is the root of our own American republic, is it not? Plus, the Dutch, with their newfound wealth, helped finance our revolt against Great Britain which allowed us to employ similar capitalistic and democratic ideals.
Maybe the Crown Prince is right after all. There is a lot of symbolism packed into this one little painting.
Peter Culos is and artist/graphic designer as well as creator of history-geek.com
Related Articles |
