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Girl Interrupted at Her Music (Dutch: Onderbreking van de muziek) is a painting by the Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer. It was painted in the baroque style, probably between the years 1658 and 1659, using oil on canvas. Since 1901 it has been in the Frick Collection in New York City.[1]

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Girl Interrupted at her Music
Artist	Johannes Vermeer
Year	c. 1658-1659
Medium	Oil on canvas
Dimensions	39.4 cm × 44.5 cm (15.5 in × 17.5 in)
Location	Frick Collection, New York

In this painting, Vermeer depicts a woman at her music with a gentleman beside her. This painting shows the typical courtship during the 17th century in Europe. It also focuses on the importance of music when it comes to love.

The room that they are shown in is one of higher class, most likely belonging to a person of haute bourgeoisie. The painting is very reminiscent of Vermeer’s other works.

Important objects and symbols

Wine glass

The wine glass, discreetly shown on the table behind the songbook, is tied with both joyfulness and seduction. In the 17th century it was popular to paint scenes that depicted feasts that included drinking, gaming, and playing music. Later on, these large gatherings became smaller and more exclusive with two or three people shown. Drinking wine was also associated with love during this time period. You can see that the glass is full and untouched, which symbolizes the slow moving relationship between the man and the woman.

Window

On the left side of the painting is a multi-paned window, from which the light source is provided for the scene. Vermeer used the same window design in nine of his other works (The Music Lesson, The Girl with the Wine Glass, The Glass of Wine, Officer and Laughing Girl, Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid, Woman with a Water Jug, Woman with a Lute, Woman Holding a Balance, and Woman with a Pearl Necklace). Some experts questioned whether this painting was by Vermeer. The precision of the lighting from the window was thought to prove that it was in fact an original Vermeer.

Chairs

The chairs depicted in the painting are thought to have been from Spain. They are some of the few objects in the painting that were not damaged by heavy restoration. You can see the minute details including the lion head carving, the brass studs, and the “lozenge” pattern that were all popular aspects of furniture during the time.

Painting

The hazy painting in the background of the scene is of Cupid. The painting within a painting was discovered after its restoration in 1907; it had been covered up by a wall and a hanging violin. Several observations have been made about the Cupid painting and what it could have to do with the overall painting, including that Cupid may be warning the couple about the dangers of love, that Cupid's upraised hand was a symbol that you must only have one lover, that Cupid is holding up a blank card which represents love as a game, or shows that "love is in the air". The reason for Vermeer including the miniature Cupid painting may never be revealed due to the painting's damaged condition.

Vase

On the table sits a vase made of porcelain and silver, likely used for serving wine. One of the main centers for porcelain in the Netherlands was and still is Delft, although they had "limited success" in recreating Chinese porcelain.

Man

The man in the painting is likely upper class, due to his fashionable attire.

Music

Love and music often went hand in hand in the 17th century, especially with the presence of a musical duet between a man and a woman. Playing music with one another was one of the few activities where young people of the opposite sex could socialize. The two in the painting were likely part of the haute bourgeoisie, which meant that they were worldly and educated when it came to music, and each likely had a personal collection of songbooks.

Cultural references

The painting is a theme in the book Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen, the title of that book being based on the title of the painting.

See also

• List of paintings by Johannes Vermeer
• Dutch Golden Age painting

References

1. Janson, J.. "Girl Interrupted at Her Music." Essential Vermeer. N.p., 2011. Web. 12 Mar 2012. <http://www.essentialvermeer.com/catalogue/girl_interrupted_in_her_music.html>. 2. Liedtke, Walter. "Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/verm/hd_verm.htm (October 2003) 3. <http://www.virtualvermeer.com/>

External links

• Girl Interrupted at Her Music at the website of The Frick Collection
• The Works of Vermeer

На других языках

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[de] Die unterbrochene Musikstunde

Die unterbrochene Musikstunde ist ein Ölgemälde von Jan Vermeer. Das 38,7 Zentimeter hohe und 43,9 Zentimeter breite Bild entstand 1660/1661 und zeigt ein Motiv der Genremalerei mit der einen Liebesbrief lesenden Frau und dem hinter ihr stehenden Mann. Das Werk hängt heute in der Frick Collection in New York.

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- [en] Girl Interrupted at Her Music

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[es] La lección de música interrumpida

La lección de música interrumpida es una pintura al óleo sobre lienzo de 39,3 cm x 44,4 cm pintado en 1660 por el pintor neerlandés Johannes Vermeer.

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[fr] La Leçon de musique interrompue

La Leçon de musique interrompue (en néerlandais : Onderbreking van de muziek) est une huile sur toile de Johannes Vermeer réalisée vers 1658-1659. Mesurant 39,4 cm de haut et 44,5 cm de large, le tableau est exposé à la Frick Collection de New York.

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[it] Concerto interrotto

Il Concerto interrotto è un dipinto ad olio su tela (39,3x44,4 cm) di Jan Vermeer, databile al 1660 circa e conservato nella Frick Collection di New York; è anche conosciuto come Gentiluomo e fanciulla con musica.

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[ru] Прерванный урок музыки

Прерванный урок музыки (нидерл. Onderbreking van de muziek) — картина голландского художника Яна Вермеера, выполненная, предположительно, в период между 1660—1661 годом. Жанровый сюжет об уроке музыки был довольно популярен в голландской живописи XVII века. Картина хранится в частной коллекции Фрика, музея в Нью-Йорке[2].

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