Exploring the Relationship between the Shaping of Female Images in Vermeer's Works and the Social Environment

Abstract

This study takes the Nederland region in the 17th century as a starting point, which was in the golden period of development. In addition, it focuses on the mature genre painting works depicting family life and women under the differentiation of social division of labor. It focuses on the female images in the works of Dutch artist Vermeer in the 17th century, to explore the relationship between the shaping of female images in Dutch art schools and the social environment. This research used literature analysis to search and read relevant materials and literature, to better grasp the creative background and motivation of the painting, which is conducive to establishing a good analysis of iconology and promoting deeper research. This paper found that Vermeer's three works - The Milkmaid, Woman Holding a Balance, and A Drunken Sleeping Maid at a Table - showcase the dignity, power, and freedom of women in family life, while implicitly binding women with temptation, morality, and abstinence. This research believes that this phenomenon is derived from the demand for social capitalist identity at that time, the belief conflict under the "religious tolerance" system, and the anxiety and trade-off of the rise of women in the patriarchal society. It is a concentrated portrayal of the unbalanced social environment of economic development and spiritual belief in the Netherlands in the 17th century.