Kitchen, Matthijs Maris, 1859
Maris painted this small oil study in his Hague period, when kitchen interiors with through-views in the style of the 17th-century Dutch painter Pieter de Hooch were popular. Maris here practiced with the backlight pouring in through the window and casting the woman at the sink and the objects in the kitchen in shadow. Cleverly placed highlights give the interior greater depth and volume.