During my Drawing and Imaging class, we did a field research assignment in which we went to the Met to study portraits, and also to get a better understanding of the human form and understand oneself. I ended up picking the study of a young woman by Johannes Vermeer (Dutch, Delft 1632–1675 Delft) ca. 1665–67. The portrait was oil on canvas. When looking at the piece for the first time, I was mesmerized by the simplistic nature of the face yet the complexity of the brush strokes. It was as if from staring at those expressionless eyes I could see into her whole life story. Also the way that the artist chose to use light was very interesting and I would like to explore thisIn my own work. For these reasons, I was immediately captivated by the piece and it was why I chose this to be the self-portrait that I would explore in recent weeks.  The lower images are of the original portrait, a photographic re-creation that I took for this class, and also a sketch I did of the painting while at the Met.