In the painting "Man directing a young woman with a letter" the prominant figure is the woman. this is noticed where the light is directed onto her body, signifying her improtance.the letter is red to her by a young man(postman) who has gracefully taken off his hat whilst reading.by looking at the windows and the buildings location it sugests that the woamn could be married to a wealthy sea merchant or fisherman. The letter could be poetry from her husband who is at sea and she is awaiting his return, hence the empty chair and the door and window being open.
On another level, the painting could portray her imagination, as she sits in her chair with her body bather in light whilst listening to what is being said in the letter. Refering to "Architecture of the Seven Sences" where it is stated that "deep darkness and shadows are essential as they dim the sharpness of vision and invite unconcious peripheral vision", the atmosphere and darkness of the room itself could could represent her state of mind (she is daydreaming about her husband). In the doorway of the painting, there is a little girl with a fishing rod, a canal and two men on the other side. The doorway could sugest what she is thinking (opening her mind to daydream), the little girl could sugest what she feels like and the canal is the division between her and her husband, the fishing rod could sugest that she wants to reel him back home.
The paragraph above is my interpretation of the paintings alegorical meaning.wher it is stated that "many paintings which had previously been percieved only on the level of literal reportage have been shown to have allegorical or emblametic meaning(1)."
Amsterdam in the Late 17th cantury was a thriving merchant citythat consisted of many immigrants. DeHooch arived in Amsterdam in 1661 from Delft and lived in the poorer outskirts
of the city. The painting " man directing a young woman with a letter" has cooler tonalities, in comparison to his earlier work in Delft that were vibrant, due to the use of a pastel hues. in the 1670's Peiter De Hooch suffered from mental illness which could have dictated the way in which he painted.
Here's my read: The man is a dutch sailor returned from a 4-5 year shift at sea. He is returning to his lover, the lady, who is pointing to the bastard daughter that she had while he was away. This is supported by:
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b) The dog, a symbol of faithfulness, is looking over it's shoulder, symbolizing the sailor's abandonment and subsequent return.
c) The child in the doorway is a sickly-looking changeling, the very personification of illegitimacy. Her greenish countenance is saying "Daddy?"