Young Woman with a Water Pitcher

Follow the woman’s hands between the open window and the pitcher. One reaches toward the light, while the other rests at the vessel above its basin. Linen covers her hair and protects her clothing as she begins a morning wash. Johannes Vermeer painted this domestic scene around 1662. He lets you see a private moment before the woman presents herself to the world outside. The ordinary task gives him a reason to bring pale cloth, reflective metal and daylight together within a carefully arranged room. Try concentrating on one material at a time. The linen spreads the light across a broad, soft surface. The gilt-silver pitcher and basin catch smaller reflections. Those differences help your eye distinguish the objects even where their colors approach one another. The woman’s gestures connect the bright areas without making the room feel busy. This was the first painting by Vermeer to enter an American collection. Return to the space around her hands and notice how much of the picture’s activity is contained there.