The Milkmaid, Jan Vermeer (1658-1660)

The Milkmaid, by Vermeer, is perhaps one of the most beautiful paintings I have ever personally seen. Through the simplistic setting, the painting suggests that the maid is making bread pudding, and through the depiction of careful cooking the artist presents a scene of both ethical and social value. The artist lends an “impression of monumentality” and even a sense of dignity by choosing “a relatively low vantage point and a pyramidal building up of forms from the left foreground to the women’s head, focusing the attention of the viewer on the pouring of the milk.” The focus on the humble woman’s hard work, to transform common ingredients into a pleasurable yet unique meal, displays one of the strongest values held in the 17th-century Netherlands. Raquel Laneri wrote, “In the end, it is not the allusions to female sexuality that give this painting its romance or emotional resonance - it is the depiction of honest, hard work as something romantic in and of itself, also elevating the drudgery of housework and servitude to virtuous, even heroic, levels.” (“Johannes Vermeer”)

Considering the simple setting and theme of The Milkmaid, and also considering the social and ethical implications representing important ideals of a time period, one can start to see the connection to the title of this blog. This painting shows a seamless integration of complexity among simplicity, in both an artistic and historical sense. The Milkmaid is a depiction of a simple, rustic woman, yet utilizes perspective and realism; the painting also has social implications behind a very simple, and serene setting.

The gleaners, Jean-Francois Millet, 1857

The Gleaners, painted by Millet in 1857, was first unveiled at the Salon, drawing negative criticism from middle and upper classes; the depiction was eyed with suspicion as it glorified the lower class worker, especially due to the outcome of the French Revolution of 1848. The Gleaners displays three servants working prominently, stooped down in order to harvest wheat. “Their gaze does not meet the viewer, and their faces are obscured, while in the background, bountiful amounts of wheat are being stacked while a landlord overseer stands watch on the right”. Liana Vardi wrote, “[The women] embody an animal force deeply absorbed by a painstaking task. The contrast between wealth and poverty, power and helplessness, male and female spheres is forcefully rendered” (“The Gleaners”).  Millet uses the contrast of the abundance behind the women to the meagerness in front of them in an effort to confront the lower classes inability to move forward in class; The painting suggests that, like in real life, peasants are secluded and separated from the abundance of the upper classes, and are unable to move forward.

The setting is of three women harvesting wheat, in a simple field. The simplicity of the painting, matched with the realism and perspective, makes for an awe-inspiring spectacle. Despite the simple appearance of the painting, it represents one's inability to move forward in the face of poverty, and displays a controversial social niche within a class oriented paradigm.

                                                               

Fountain, Marcel Duchamp (1917)

The fountain, by Duchamp, was created in an artistic movement known as the Dada movement; the Dada movement was anti-rational, and anti-aesthetics, forsaking previously conceived notions about life. The artist bought a standard urinal from the J. L. Mott Iron Works, reoriented it so that it was 90 degrees from its origin, and wrote “R. Mutt” and 1917 on its side. There was much controversy over Duchamp’s piece, over whether it was art or not, however, when an anonymous editorial came out defending The Fountain, many works after done in the Dada style were also considered art; the editorial read “Whether Mr Mutt made the fountain with his own hands or not has no importance. He CHOSE it. He took an article of life, placed it so that its useful significance disappeared under the new title and point of view – created a new thought for that object”. The Fountain is perhaps best known of all readymades because “the symbolic meaning of the toilet takes the conceptual challenge posed by the readymades to a visceral extreme”.

The Fountain is a great example of complexity among simplicity, due to its simple yet intriguing orientation and setting, and it cultural implications. Through his work, Duchamp tried to broadcast his perception of society, as it was about the catastrophic effects of war, and the rejection of all of the values that led to it . To say that The Fountain is symbolic yet simple would be an understatement. It is very open to interpretation, however, as Duchamp once said, “When I discovered the ready-mades I sought to discourage aesthetics. In Neo-Dada they have taken my readymades and found aesthetic beauty in them, I threw the bottle-rack and the urinal into their faces as a challenge and now they admire them for their aesthetic beauty”.

Annotated Bibliography

"Johannes Vermeer." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 26 Apr. 2011.     <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Vermeer.>

This site provides valuable insight into the artistic methods used in which to paint the painting, and also provides details on the time period.

 "The Gleaners." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia. Web. 26 Apr. 2011.             <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gleaners>.

This source provides helpful insight into the complex representation that the gleaners stand for, and also talks about art methods used in painting.

“Fountain (Duchamp)." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 10 May 2011.             http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_(Duchamp).

This article provides insight into the Dada sensabilities, and also discusses Duchamps motivation and aritstic styling when painting The Fountain.