Over his short life, Johannes Vermeer produced a little over thirty-five paintings. This hand-full of works left behind more questions than answers, and they still elude art historians today. The Milkmaid and The Allegory of Painting are two of Vermeer’s prized pieces. The Milkmaid is an exemplary example of Vermeer’s brilliant depiction of light. The viewer is immediately captivated by its placid mood, and the girl’s homey innocence. The Allegory of Painting draws the viewer into its intimate scene, as Vermeer plays with symbolic representation. It is this relatively small amount of paintings that embody the work of a true artistic genius.