Girl Feeding a Dog

586
Girl Feeding a Dog
after 1650
Aelbert Cuyp

A delightful genre scene from everyday life: a small blond girl spoon-feeds a dog, while a cat laps up milk from a shallow dish. The girl is turned towards the viewer, as if standing on a stage, with a broad smile and direct gaze that seems to invite the observer to join in this happy scene.

A strong light from the left illuminates the greenish-brown background to highlight the scene. The light refraction on her hair, white blouse and jewellery is particularly delicate. The tonal technique has been implemented to illustrate a fragment of everyday reality in a small Dutch town, but the emphasis is placed on the girl's features.