The Milkmaid (detail)

Nineteenth-century artists from Millet to van Gogh were impressed by this painting’s vigorous paint, powerful realism, and rich texture. The paint is rather thick and grainy, the impasto heavy, and Vermeer’s pontill� technique already begins to play an important role. Yellow (the cook’s blouse) and blue (her apron, the lining of her sleeves, the cloth, and the Nassau stoneware pitcher on the table) predominate.