Dutch Baroque painter Judith Leyster created this dynamic 35-by-28-inch composition entitled “The Last Drop” in 1609, using oil on canvas, the prevalent artists’ medium of the era. The painting is striking in its apparent simplicity, but a deeper look reveals to viewers the visual complexities beneath the surface, which give way to an intricate underlying theme. Leyster ultimately uses her piece as a vehicle to warn viewers against a life of indulgence and sin, specifically through visual juxtaposition, illusionistic realism, deliberate body language, and color.

The first thing a viewer notices about this piece is the stark contrast between the…

Oh the messes we made

The troubles it caused

In the end I’m your slave

Held down by your awe

Head fixed on your binds

I go out to the fields

Clouded cotton-ball minds;

The work barely yields

But two too young lovers

Dripping passion, I bet

But behind clouded minds

Is that hint of regret

So part ways we must

I’ll wait it out till when

For in the end it’s just lust

And we’ll find it again