The Milkmaid

       Noone knows exactly who she was now.  A woman ensconced in domesticity, pouring milk — the scene may have  seemed mundane.  But the Dutch  painter Johannes Vermeer saw something majestic and sensual — even monumental in the moment.  The colors seem translucent.  The level of detail makes it seem almost photographic, although it was likely painted sometime during the year  1657- 58.  The painting possesses a moving luminosity.  Currently on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through Nov. 28,  ”The Milkmaid”  is considered the painter’s masterpiece.  She was sent over this year — along with other paintings by Vermeer and his contemporaries as a gift from the Netherlands to pay homage to the 400th anniversary of explorer Henry Hudson’s visit to the island, we now know as Manhattan.
       To see more of the Dutch influence, check out the exhibit at the South Street Seaport,  “New Amsterdam: The Island at the Center of the World.”  And through June, 2010, The Holland on the Hudson festival will celebrate the 400th anniversary with events and exhibitions.