Woman at a Window, Waving at a Girl

Oh my, I love this painting so much. It is at the same time so modern and so Dutch Golden Age-like. So many strange things we see here—who is this mysterious woman with her back turned away from us? Everything seems to hang suspended here, spectrally unresolved. It is even hard to tell what exactly is the subject of this painting? What does the gesture of this woman mean? That hand raised flat against the windowpane may not be a gesture of greeting at all. There is too much hurry about it; is she not bolting out of her chair?

So many unanswered questions here.  Little is known about the author of this painting. Vrel was a member of the same school or artistic style as the much more famous Pieter de Hooch, showing simple intimate scenes of daily life in towns, often including studies in perspective. Vrel's birthplace is unknown but he is considered to have worked in Delft and Haarlem. He is also referred to as Jan instead of Jacob(us) and known alternative spellings of his surname are Frel, Frelle, Vreele, Vrelle, and Vriel. His works are sometimes confused with those by Esaias Boursse.

See you tomorrow!

P.S. Here you will find a selection of the most beautiful paintings with women waiting at windows. It's a surprisingly popular subject among artists. Check it out!