5 Famous Windows from Art History

They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul, but what about windows themselves? Throughout history, artists have used windows as symbols of everything from confinement to freedom, as well as acting as sources of light for their dramatic scenes.

Friedrich paints his wife in his studio in Dresden, arranging the scene around a window to emphasize the contrast between the outdoors and the interior. 

Ringgold uses woven fabrics and textured paint to create a vibrant scene of many windows, giving a glimpse into a lively Black community.

Among Vermeer's most famous artworks, this painting tells a story of longing. The light from the window allows the girl to read her letter, but also mocks her with a vision of freedom beyond her domestic setting, a vision which remains just outside of the picture's frame.

Probably the most famous bedroom in the history of art, Van Gogh's sleeping quarters at 2, Place Lamartine in Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône, France (known as the Yellow House) became immortalized in three colorful paintings he made in the late 1880s. 

Though the yellow furniture often draws the eyes of viewers, the painting is also concerned with thresholds. The doorway on the left leads to the guest room in which the painter Gauguin stayed, and the green light of the window seems to inform the colors of the whole composition.

Perhaps better known for her close-up pictures of flowers, Georgia O'Keeffe also painted landscapes and architectural studies. This painting depicts outhouses and barns on the upstate New York estate of her husband, the photographer Alfred Stieglitz.