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Vermeer's unusual sensitivity to light enhances both the physical and the psychological reality of his scenes. Nowhere in his oeuvre is his mastery more evident than in this dimly lit interior, where a young woman stands serenely waiting for her balance to come to rest. For example, he has recorded how light passes by the orange curtain hanging before the window, noting that it filters through the edges of the curtain to create a subtle glow on the gray wall behind. He then used light to focus on significant compositional elements in the painting: the jewelry box on the table with its strands of gold beads and pearls; the fingers of the woman's poised right hand; and the scale she holds.
Excerpt taken from
Vermeer: The Complete Works
by Arthur K. Wheelock Jr |
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