Vermeer’s The Love Letter showcases his typical beautiful scenery depicting a wealthy female figure being handed a letter by a servant. One is left to wonder about the exact events that are occurring behind this letter, such as who wrote it, what did it say, and how to interpret the recipient’s reaction. As ever with Vermeer, his use of light puts him up there with Caravaggio as one of history’s best.

It’s an open-ended narrative that is something I always try to employ in my own work. For my piece, I’ve made a few subtle changes - the female subject is younger, perhaps the servant herself, and the letter is cast away. I’ve used bold colors to cast my light, and like Vermeer chose the unusual vantage point from a dim space in the foreground. The inspiration for the setting is El Rancho de Las Golondrinas, a living history museum here in Santa Fe where my wife, daughter and I began volunteering during the summer of 2022.