I went to see an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of art on Vermeer, and one of his most famous paintings, The Milkmaid, which has not been in New York City since the World Fair of 1939. This time, the painting was brought to New York City to commemerate the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's voyage to what is now New York City. The painting, I also learned, is beloved by Americans and Dutch alike, which would explain the large crowds. When I finally got to the painting, which was surrounded by so many people that security guards constantly told people to disperse, I was amazed by how small it was. According to the audio guide that I got to accompany the exhibit, the painting was only 18 inches tall. It's one thing to see the painting in pictures, when one doesn't know for sure how big the painting is, but to see it in person amazes me, even though I wasn't particularly familar with the painting until I came to the museum today. There were some other famous paintings by Vermeer there such as Woman with a Water Jug and Portrait of a Young Woman, but the main focus was The Milkmaid, which is considered to be a transitional painting for Vermeer from his earlier style to his mature style. The exhibit, although small, was a very eye-opening exhibit for me.