Name: The Milkmaid by Johannes Vermeer - Look but Don't Touch
Uploaded: 2021-03-24T10:17:28.000+01:00
Duration: 195 s
Description: At first glance, it's an image of innocence. A motherly milkmaid pouring out the milk in a kitchen, preparing snacks from our childhoods. But there's actually far more to her than meets the eye.

Bifidus passif

Bitte nicht anfassen! Die Milch macht’s

The Milkmaid by Johannes Vermeer

"La lechera", de Johannes Vermeer

"Mleczarka" Jana Vermeera (1658-1661)

La lattaia di Vermeer (1658-1661)

At first glance, it's an image of innocence. A motherly milkmaid pouring out the milk in a kitchen, preparing snacks from our childhoods. But there's actually far more to her than meets the eye.

program_content

Look but Don't Touch

At first glance, it's an image of innocence. A motherly milkmaid pouring out the milk in a kitchen, preparing snacks from our childhoods. But there's actually far more to her than meets the eye. <br /><br />

A famous image that at first glance looks totally innocent, but is in actual fact full of innuendo

program_playNext

Is Saint Thomas' touching of Jesus' wounds homoerotic? It's certainly in stark contrast to Mary Magdalene, who is told not to touch him and spends the rest of her life living in a cave.

Is Saint Thomas' touching of Jesus' wounds homoerotic?

The incredulity of Saint Thomas - Caravaggio

In Ovid's Metamorphoses, Jupiter transforms into a swan to have sex with Leda. In this work, the painter takes the opportunity to explore the sensuality of the encounter, working with colours and fabrics to convey pleasure.

The painter explores the sensuality of the encounter between Leda and Jupiter

Leda and the Swan by Paolo Veronese

Written in the Middle Ages, the accounts of the life and death of the saints occupy an important place in the Catholic tradition, especially accounts of their torture... JK, this is actually an episode about BDSM. But no worries! We're just doing soft stuff.

Is this an episode about Catholic saints or BDSM? Maybe... both?

San Sebastian by Perugino

Hercules is known as an allegory of strength and virility. But his love life doesn't quite match up to that, with the exception of his relationship with Xena, the warrior.

Hercules is known as an allegory of strength and virility. But his love life doesn't quite match up to that

Hercules and Omphale by Pierre Paul Rubens

In the 1980s, a Japanese television channel financed the restoration of the Sistine Chapel and during that restoration, workers discovered the garish colours and parts of the body that had since been covered up. So which version of the painting is more important to preserve?

The Sistine Chapel could have looked very different...

Original Sin by Michelangelo

Depictions of Venus and nude women in general in art can be considered objectifying and insulting. In 1914, a suffragette even slashed a painting in the National Gallery in protest. But Venus is perhaps more inclusive than she looks at first glance. 

Depictions of nude women can be objectifying and insulting. But Venus is perhaps more inclusive than she looks

Aphrodite's Child

Olympia is a classic Venus with a 19th century twist. She caused quite a stir, as Édouard Manet painted her as a prostitute waiting for the client. 

Olympia is a classic Venus with a 19th century twist: she's a prostitute

Olympia by Édouard Manet

An author once described this work as a portrait of a woman done by a painter who had forgotten to paint the feet, legs, thighs, stomach, hips, chest, hands, arms, shoulders, neck and head. 

The Origin of the World by Gustave Courbet

Diana, the mythological goddess of the hunt, lives with her band of nymphs in the forest, free of men. Representations of her in painting are a contradictory mix of fantasy and repulsion. These nympths are both virgins and lesbians, naked and threatening, seductive and violent.

Representations of Diana in art are a contradictory mix of fantasy and repulsion. 

Diana and Callisto by Le Titien

program_recommendations

From an incredibly varied selection of 19th century postcards, the Paris of the Belle Epoque (1871 – 1914) comes to life. Street-photography captured Parisians from all walks of life and conveyed the optimism and elegance of the period.

From an incredibly varied selection of 19th century postcards, the Paris of the Belle Epoque (1871 – 1914) comes to life.

Paris in the Belle Epoque

The Berlin Palace, home of the Prussian royal family for centuries and an imposing presence on the Berlin skyline, was badly damaged by bombing in 1945. After the war the East German authorities demolished the ruins and built the Palace of the Republic, the seat of the parliament of the GDR.
After German reunification this communist-era edifice was torn down to make way for a replica of the baroque palace, finally completed and reopened to the public in June 2021. The controversial building houses the Humboldt Forum, a museum of non-European art, itself controversial in an age where the debate is raging over the restitution of art and artefacts from former European colonies.

The Humboldt Forum

Berlin's controversial new (old) palace houses a controversial museum, the Humboldt Forum with its collection of non-European art.

A New Palace for Berlin

Portrait of a visionary fashion photographer, celebrated in the 1950s and 1960s for his novel and elegant images.

F. C Gundlach  - Master of  Fashion Photography

Death and the devil, nudity and eroticism, horror in blazing colours, Gothic art cast a spell over people 500 years ago. In these image-poor times, art deliberately and skilfully played with the emotions of the viewer, triggering fear, devotion, but also rapture. Art documentary on German gothic art of the late-middle ages.

The Genius of Gothic Art

Copenhagen has set itself the ambitious target of becoming carbon neutral by 2025. Cultural magazine show Twist goes to the Danish capital to meet star architect Bjarke Ingels, artist Christian Zwaanikken and the group Scarlet Pleasure.

TWIST

Copenhagen has set itself the ambitious target of becoming carbon neutral by 2025. Cultural magazine show Twist goes to the Danish capital to see how the Danes are doing it.

Copenhagen: Carbon Neutral Metropolis

Four women comic book artists from the Arab World, Tunisian Nadia Khiari, Lebanese Lena Merhej, Moroccan Zainab Fasiki and Egyptian Deena Mohamed open the doors of their studios and tell us about their experiences and their struggles. Ten years after the beginning of the Arab Spring how can they express themselves in the medium as Arab women?

Four women comic book artists from the Arab World open the doors of their studios and tell us about their experiences and their struggles. 

4 Arab Women Comic Book Artists

Portrait of German author Ernst Jünger (1895-1998), the great stylist of 20th century German literature for some, a precursor of National Socialism for others. The writer was a critic of the Weimar Republic and remains a controversial figure in Germany to this day.

Between Nature and Nationalism

Portrait of German author Ernst Jünger (1895-1998), the great stylist of 20th century German literature for some, a precursor to National Socialism for others. 

Ernst Jünger

In 1970, the festival was interrupted after the screening of the film by Michael Verhoeven, OK, a parable about the Vietnam War. 16 years later, controversy reignites over the film Stammheim. When the film received the Golden Bear, the president, Gina Lollobrigida, immediately declared: "I was against this film." In 1976, people got flustered over Realm of the Senses, by the great Japanese director Nagisa Oshima, over accusations that it was pornography. 

70 Years of the Berlinale

The Berinale has had its fair share of drama throughout the years

Scandal!

program_bonus

Bonuses and Extracts

program_external

Discover more

program_categoryMostViewed

Amsterdam’s famous red-light district attracts hordes of noisy tourists making the neighbourhood unliveable for many of its residents. With the city authorities considering measures to push sex workers out of the area, does this spell the end for the historic trade in the city centre?

Amsterdam’s famous red-light district attracts hordes of noisy tourists making the neighbourhood unliveable for many of its residents.

Re: Mass Tourism in Amsterdam's Red Light District

Second or third children born illegally during China’s One Child Policy are banned from marrying, having children or simply boarding a train. Condemned to a non-life, these ghost children do not officially exist according to the Chinese state. ARTE Reportage goes in search of these ‘Haihaizi’,  those children who should not have been born.

Arte Reportage

Second or third children born illegally during China’s One Child Policy are banned from marrying, having children or simply boarding a train. 

China's Ghost Children

A century ago the Treaty of Trianon formally ended World War I between the Kingdom of Hungary and the allied powers. Hungary lost two-thirds of its territory at Trianon which is still a contentious subject in Hungarian politics and society.

Hungary's Trauma

Tortured, murdered, or kidnapped, migrants held in Libya go through hell. Shot on location, this poignant documentary reveals a system ruled by impunity and collusion between smugglers, militias and authorities, to which Europe turns a blind eye.

ARTE Reportage

Tortured, murdered, or kidnapped, migrants held in Libya go through hell

Libya: Migrant Camps Scandal

From India, Pakistan and Thailand, thousands of Asian workers toil in the plantations of southwestern Portugal. They do hard, poorly paid work, far from their families and their country, in hopes of getting Portuguese nationality. It's their passport to a better life, elsewhere in Europe.

Hoping for an EU passport

Thousands of Asian workers toil in plantations in Portugal, in hopes of getting Portuguese nationality

Re: Asian Workers in Portugal

When Massimo Vacchetta discovered little Ninna, he immediately adopted her and saved her from certain death. The veterinarian, whose specialty was caring for cattle, had found his vocation: he opened a hedgehog refuge, now a local institution partly run by volunteers.

When Massimo Vacchetta discovered little Ninna, he immediately adopted her and saved her from certain death

360° Geo: A Hedgehog Shelter in Italy

The world's tech giants - the likes of Facebook, Apple or Google - now have a political role to play. They can curb misinformation or spread it, along with all of the massive social issues that entails. An in-depth analysis of social media uses and regulations in China, the United States, and Europe.

Mapping the World

An in-depth analysis of social media uses and regulations in China, the United States, Europe and Russia.

The Geopolitics of Social Media

The kea is a large native bird of New Zealand, a mountain parrot that calls the Southern Alps of the South Island home. Reputedly extremely clever and mischievous, they have earned the nickname, the clown of the alps.

The Keas of New Zealand

Ayn Rand was a survivor of Communism, and as a result, her writings fiercely advocate uncompromising individualism. Her high profile fans include Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Angelina Jolie.

Gymnastics

Ayn Rand was a survivor of Communism, and as a result, her writings fiercely advocate uncompromising individualism

Ayn Rand, Capitalism Guru

In Myanmar the veneration of the Buddha is a popular practice which takes many forms. In the second city of Mandalay, craftspeople make thousands of statues of Buddha in the local white marble to satisfy the demand coming from temples and monasteries throughout Asia.

GEO Reportage

Mandalay's Buddha Statues

Long-neglected works from several centuries of operatic history have long been a staple of the internationally acclaimed annual opera festival in the little Irish coastal town of Wexford.Having been forced to take a break last year, the festival has a rediscovered work by the important Italian composer Alfredo Catalani on this year’s programme: Edmea.

Wexford Festival Opera 2021

Wexford Opera Festival proudly presents a rediscovered, long forgotten work by Alfredo Catalani.

Alfredo Catalani: Edmea

For a new generation of designers, "fast fashion" and disposable clothing is over! Their motto: "less is more". They are making a radical change in the fashion world by using timeless designs to produce clothing that is sustainable, and fair trade.

For a new generation of designers, "fast fashion" and disposable clothing is over! 

Fashion Rebels

Sting appears at the Reeperbahn Festival opening gala in Hamburg performing "Rushing Water", a track from his forthcoming album "The Bridge", due for release on 19 November. Discover the track exclusively! As a bonus, one of the Police's biggest hits "Every Breath You Take".

Reeperbahn Festival 2021

Sting appears at the Reeperbahn Festival opening gala in Hamburg performing "Rushing Water", a track from his forthcoming album "The Bridge", due for release on 19 November. 

Sting - 'Rushing Water'

Pasta made from worm flour, grass-hopper salads or muesli bars with cricket… Insect food products could be appearing on our plates soon if Laetitia Giroud and Julien Foucher get their way. 360° Geo visited the couple at their insect farm in Spain.

Insect food products could be appearing on our plates soon if insect farmers Laetitia Giroud and Julien Foucher get their way.

360° Geo: Insects - the Food of the Future

Patrick Messina and the Orchestre National de France conducted by Bernard Haitink perform two gems of Austrian music, Mozart's Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra and Bruckner's Symphony No. 9, at the Auditorium de Radio France.

Orchestre National de France

Patrick Messina and the Orchestre National de France conducted by Bernard Haitink perform Mozart's Clarinet Concerto and Bruckner's Symphony No. 9, at the Auditorium de Radio France.

Bernard Haitink and Patrick Messina Perform Mozart and Bruckner

Conductor Raphaël Pichon and director Cyril Teste team up to bring Beethoven’s Fidelio to the stage of the Opéra Comique.

Beethoven’s only opera conducted by Raphaël Pichon.

Beethoven's "Fidelio" at the Opéra Comique

The Franco-Venezuelan singer’s performances are as emotional as they are upbeat, impressing audiences with her refreshing electro-pop blend of European and Latin American sounds

Nancy Jazz Pulsations

La Chica

As Daniel Hope has been awarded the distinguished Opus Klassik prize, we celebrate with highlights from his much-loved lockdown series, Hope@Home.

With Daniel Hope, Christoph Israel and Guests

The Best of Hope@Home

From the late 1990s, Rødhåd laid the foundations for his DJ career. His perfectionist mixes of dub techno and percussive grooves earned him widespread recognition and since 2010, he has been a resident of Berlin's Berghain.
At the same time, Vril took the techno scene by storm, almost out of nowhere. As a producer, he pursues a timeless sound aesthetic that serves no trend in the genre. With his energetic live sets, he has impressed audiences across the world.
The techno giants perform from the post-industrial space of the Ruhr Museum. 

Stone Techno X Zollverein

Techno giants Rødhåd and Vril perform from the post-industrial space of the Ruhr Museum.

Look but Don't Touch

Look but Don't Touch

The incredulity of Saint Thomas - Caravaggio

Leda and the Swan by Paolo Veronese

San Sebastian by Perugino

Hercules and Omphale by Pierre Paul Rubens

Original Sin by Michelangelo

Aphrodite's Child

Olympia by Édouard Manet

The Origin of the World by Gustave Courbet

The Milkmaid by Johannes VermeerLook but Don't Touch

You may also like

Paris in the Belle Epoque

A New Palace for Berlin

F. C Gundlach - Master of Fashion Photography

The Genius of Gothic Art

Copenhagen: Carbon Neutral Metropolis

4 Arab Women Comic Book Artists

Ernst Jünger

Scandal!

The most viewed videos on ARTE

Re: Mass Tourism in Amsterdam's Red Light District

China's Ghost Children

Hungary's Trauma

Libya: Migrant Camps Scandal

Re: Asian Workers in Portugal

360° Geo: A Hedgehog Shelter in Italy

Paris in the Belle Epoque

The Geopolitics of Social Media