“The Visit” is an artwork created by the Dutch Baroque painter Pieter de Hooch, dated around 1657. Executed in oil on panel, this genre painting measures 58 x 68 cm and is currently housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) in New York City, NY, US.
The artwork depicts a domestic interior scene common in genre paintings of the Baroque period. The setting is a dimly lit, modestly decorated room, characterized by wooden beams and a window allowing natural light to filter in from the left. Within this space, four figures are arranged in a tableau of social interaction. To the left, a woman in a red jacket and blue skirt stands, pouring a drink from a silver ewer into a glass held by a seated man, distinguished by his formal attire and black hat. Additionally, another man, also wearing a hat, stands behind the table, while a woman, possibly the subject of the visit, sits engaged in conversation. The interplay of light and shadow, along with the rich color palette, exemplifies the Baroque fascination with realism and detail in daily life scenes.
