6: Genre Portraits with Whyte
Mary Whyte
Sister Heyward (recent years but date unknown)Watercolor, w26.5" x h34.25"
From MaryWhyte.com
These days, the greatest overlap with genre painting is probably portraiture...which, considering that 'genre' art was originally defined by its use of nonspecific individuals, rather muddies the waters.
So, comparing the above watercolor by Whyte to the Vermeer we started with, obvious similarities with a female figure preparing food in a kitchen. Both artists have also given a lot of emphasis to the light/atmosphere surrounding the figure, and to the intriguing vividness vs. subtlety of color that results.
But in Vermeer's time, the 'maid' was a type, and her face cast down from us in shadow (and slightly softened/blurred in the handling), plus her figure nearly obscured by the geometric shapes of her clothing, plus the nearly statuesque stillness of her 'movement' within the room, means that Vermeer largely invites us to view this woman as a type more than as a living individual.
Contrast to 'Sister Heyward', where even in profile we get a highly specific individual expression (right down to the specific folds of crinkling at her eyes). The fold and twist of the figure's arm, the pattern on her clothing, the drape of her clothing, even the labels sketched out on the jar and dispenser at the back — everything refers to *this* individual in *her* space, referring to 'type' only in a broad way by the emotions evoked (warmth, comfort, 'home') and by whatever memories of similar persons the audience may bring to the table. Clinching the impression is the clear movement of air in the room (see the bellied-out curtain, the waft of the steam); this isn't just a particular person, it's a particular person in a particular moment, and you couldn't substitute the figure in this piece without changing the piece entirely.
So, comparing the above watercolor by Whyte to the Vermeer we started with, obvious similarities with a female figure preparing food in a kitchen. Both artists have also given a lot of emphasis to the light/atmosphere surrounding the figure, and to the intriguing vividness vs. subtlety of color that results.
But in Vermeer's time, the 'maid' was a type, and her face cast down from us in shadow (and slightly softened/blurred in the handling), plus her figure nearly obscured by the geometric shapes of her clothing, plus the nearly statuesque stillness of her 'movement' within the room, means that Vermeer largely invites us to view this woman as a type more than as a living individual.
Contrast to 'Sister Heyward', where even in profile we get a highly specific individual expression (right down to the specific folds of crinkling at her eyes). The fold and twist of the figure's arm, the pattern on her clothing, the drape of her clothing, even the labels sketched out on the jar and dispenser at the back — everything refers to *this* individual in *her* space, referring to 'type' only in a broad way by the emotions evoked (warmth, comfort, 'home') and by whatever memories of similar persons the audience may bring to the table. Clinching the impression is the clear movement of air in the room (see the bellied-out curtain, the waft of the steam); this isn't just a particular person, it's a particular person in a particular moment, and you couldn't substitute the figure in this piece without changing the piece entirely.