Ruth Leon recommends… The Secrets of the Milkmaid – Vermeer – Rijksmuseum
Ruth Leon recommendsThe Secrets of the Milkmaid – Vermeer – Rijksmuseum
Click here for Part One
Click here for Part Two
Click here for Part Three
In common with thousands of others, I was too late to nab a ticket to the once-in-a-lifetime exhibition of Vermeer paintings at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam last year. It sold out in nano-seconds and those who saw it are still raving about it. Those who didn’t, like me, are still muttering darkly under their breath. Fortunately, since there are so few remaining Vermeer paintings, those still extant are studied and studied and studied from every perspective and point of view. and the results of these studies are often fascinating viewing.
Scientists have been studying The Milkmaid for centuries, but what mysteries does it still hold? Rijksmuseum researchers have been working with the Mauritshuis in The Hague and the University of Antwerp, studying all the Vermeer paintings in the Netherlands. In these videos you can see just some of the results. The story is in three parts, hence three links.
Last year I have seen this expo thank to Yeol Eum Son. I planned to go in Amsterdam for one of her recital 4 month before and it was the last week end of the expo. And to find a good hotel in last hour could be very expensive. Without the programmtion of this concert and the chance to a have ticket when I planned my travel 4 month before I would have never seen this expo to remember for the ages.
These spectrographic analyses are fine and valuable, but they ignore the human narrative (i.e., what does that resigned or slightly weary expression on the milkmaid’s face meant to convey)? No discussion of that sort of thing at all.
Many thanks for this fascinating diversion from the broad path of classical music! I’m a scientist by training but have a keen interest in art and (evidently) music, so this story was a most welcome addition.