The Terrace

he military gear, musical instruments, and songbooks scattered throughout this composition hint at worldly and romantic pursuits, but the chief subject of the painting is the illusionism of the near and far objects framed by the window. Optical challenges were particularly intriguing to artists working in the Dutch city of Delft. This painting would have blurred the boundaries of indoor and outdoor when hung in a collector’s home. (Source: Art Institute of Chicago)