Jan Vermeer, La Lattaia

Llacta, painted by Johannes VermeerAlso known as Jan Vermeer, around 1658, is one of the most remarkable examples of 17th -century art. Worm, Dutch painter van Delftis famous for its domestic interiors who reflect daily life with a sense of calm and extraordinary attention to detail. The work that you see here reproduced is stored in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and represents a daily scene of a young woman while pouring milk from a jug in a container. The composition of lacta It is exemplary for the use of light and perspective. Vermeer uses a window as the only light source, which illuminates the scene and creates light games and shadows that emphasize those details such as the pale forearms of the woman and the stream of milk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pZ3O6PDZZA

A painting full of symbolic and realistic details

The bright colors of the body and apron contrast with the simple background of the room, so that the viewer’s attention is drawn to the women’s actions. The painting is full of symbolic and realistic details. The BatatCopa tile with Cupido can, for example, refer to themes of love and desire, while the copper bucket and the blue tablecloth on the table add depth and context to the scene. A nail in the upper part of the composition suggests the presence of a photo or a card in the past, giving the narrative technique of Vermeer a look. Vermeer is known for his meticulous painting method. His technique visible in the display of the crust of the bread shows how the artist builds the textures with small hints of color, an approach that contributes to the illusion of realism and three dimensionality without endangering the overall delicacy of the image.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrFLHCMT_PS

The Lacta is not only an artistic masterpiece, but also a window about living at home in the Netherlands. The work celebrates the simplicity and dignity of daily work, themes that resonate in Dutch society of time and that continue to speak with future generations for their universality and their directness. The Lacta offers a lesson on how art can capture and increase ordinary moments of daily life, and how a painter can use light, color and perspective to guide the visual experience. Exploring this work can help develop a valuation for the history of European art and for pictorial techniques that determine the Dutch baroque.

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Recommended lectures:
➡ Jan Vermeer. The full work. Ediz. illustrated https://amzn.to/3vazkt0
➡ Vermeer for giunti editore https://amzn.to/2xdkto1

This message uses various bibliographical contributions that you can consult here

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