Young Woman Interrupted at Music. Girl Interrupted at Her Music 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.
In this painting, Vermeer depicts a young woman at her music with an older gentleman. 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. 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. 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. Some experts questioned whether this painting w