The Guitar Player is an oil painting by Dutch Golden Age artist Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675), dated c. 1672.

This work of art is one of Vermeer's final artistic activities, providing insight into the techniques he mastered and approaches to painting he favored.

[1] His late style demonstrated abstract painting techniques, in which the depiction of motion is portrayed through the diffused illustration of shifting objects.

[3] With Vermeer's experience, he began to create paintings that demonstrate dynamic poses and actions, implying that a movement (or in this case, sound) is taking place.

[4] This painting exhibits an unbalanced arrangement that depicts a lack of compositional consistency, but also rejects the past instrument of the lute to focus on the modern guitar.

The combination of an uneven arrangement conjoined with a gleam of light coming from the right rather than the left, forces the viewer engage with the character and instrument in this painting.

[5] The compositional arrangement is reinforced by Vermeer's decision to specifically direct the light onto the guitar player, which helps the viewer feel the impact of her presence.

[5] As a result of Vermeer's decision to paint a single personality, a greater importance and focus is placed on the instrument.

[6] The inclusion of a pastoral landscape, dark curtains, three books, and a blue tablecloth provide a counterbalance to the overriding composition displayed on the left of this artwork.

[5][7] Surrounding her is a painted pastoral landscape bordered by an extravagant picture frame, a blank wall, three books, and a guitar.

The joyous demeanor established in this painting is conveyed through the young girl's self expression, the peaceful landscape pictured behind her, and the soft tones of light and dark.

[3] The thin patches of gray and yellow lead-tin paint categorize the abstract pattern that establishes the folds in the jackets fabric and fur trim.

[3] Historians conclude that the fur on Vermeer's morning jacket was not made from ermine, but either cat, squirrel, or mouse.

[2] Vermeer's depiction of a young girl making music is associated with the nobility found in artistic inspiration, as well as the art of painting in the seventeenth century.

[6] Vermeer's depiction of a guitar suggests a move into the modern world of music, in which the lute is left behind with its contemplative and conservative traditions.

[3] The small detailed sound hole was created with blobs of impasto paint, which portrays the light reflecting across its slick uneven surface.

[3] Vermeer's version guides the viewers focus towards the centered tree, as well as incorporating blue skies and greener foliage.

[4] Artists in the seventeenth century were often attributing the topic of female beauty to nature, which was frequently expressed through poetry and music.

[4] Vermeer's depiction of a whitewashed wall allowed him to set the stage for a scene that illustrates an individual strumming a guitar composed on the left side of the canvas.

[3] According to the Delft building historian Wim Weeve, the use of whitewashed walls was frequently integrated in the houses, castles, and churches of the Dutch in the Middle Ages.

[3] The beginning process of whitewashing a wall starts with a thick application of lime putty, which is created with burned seashells.

[citation needed] Although unrecognizable to the untrained eye, this wooden chair is portrayed several times through Vermeer's artistic career.

[3] Vermeer's decision to depict three books suggests the young girl's sophistication, which is implied through a high level of education.

According to scholar Elise Goodman, the young musician featured in this painting would be a member of the haute bourgeoisie who could read, write, and speak several languages.

[14] Following the threat, a small strip of the painting was sent to The Times in London, along with another demand that requested the Irish Republican sisters Marian and Dolours Price be allowed to serve their prison sentences near their homes in Northern Ireland.