Judith Leyster

This is a painting from the year 1630 by the Baroque artist Judith Leyster. I find the painting to be very intriguing for several different reasons. She paints herself in the middle of a painting that she is working on to show that she is an artist and to tell something about herself, yet she is not wearing the clothes of a standard artist. She is wearing a more formal and traditional outfit from the time period more suited to the upper class. The painting she is working on is actually a portion of one of her earlier painting which also grabs the attention of the viewer. The contrast between the darks of her outfit and the bright white of the accessory around her neck really stands out in the painting. The accessory really helps frame her face and draw attention to the most important part of the painting and then you follow down her hand and the brush and notice the painting in progress. The composition really helps direct eye flow around the painting in a flawless manner.