The Art of Painting

Vermeer's The Art of Painting depicts a painter seated with his back to the viewer in a sunlit studio, painting at an easel as a standing model in a blue gown holds a yellow book against a large wall map. A heavy, patterned curtain frames the left edge, a gilded chandelier hangs overhead, and a checkered floor anchors the space, creating a balanced, directional composition. The scene is rendered in Vermeer’s refined Dutch Golden Age style, with cool blues, muted earth tones, and meticulous attention to light, texture, and surface detail on fabric, skin, and map.