
Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window
Johannes Vermeer, c. 1657–1659
What you see
A young woman stands in profile at an open window on the left, intently reading a letter she holds in both hands. Between her and us is a table covered with a heavy rug and a tilted dish full of fruit. On the right, a large green curtain hanging from a rod fills nearly a third of the picture, as if someone had just drawn it aside.
Light from the window falls on her face, her yellow dress and the pale wall behind her. The cool green of the curtain plays against the red cloth draped over the window. Keep an eye out for the faint reflection of her face in the open panes, the fruit spilling over the dish and the back of a dark chair beside the window.
About Johannes Vermeer
Johannes Vermeer lived his whole life in Delft and painted very slowly: only about 35 of his works are known. He loved the soft light that comes through a window and falls on quiet scenes of daily life. He used very expensive pigments, such as ultramarine blue made from a precious stone.
More by Johannes Vermeer
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