First Critique

The painting depicts a young woman with blonde hair held back with a braided ribbon reclining on a white bed. She is nude, with her left hand slightly covering herself. She holds a small bouquet of flowers in her right hand, and a small dog is curled up at her feet on the bed. She looks candidly at the viewer, and two maids are in the background of the highly ornamented room. A window opens up to a pretty view, a possibly twilight sky. The woman's reclining body is spread out across the piece, balancing out the composition, which the women in the background help out with as well.

The woman is calm and very comfortable with herself. She pays no attention to the two women behind her, and boldly stares at the viewer. The tranquillity of this piece is underlined by the soft curve of her body on the bed, the evenness of her skin tone and lack of drastic shadows.
Judging by the fairness of her skin, her jewelry, the wall decorations around her, and the small dog signifies that the subject is probably very rich. There is a good chance she could be a courtesan to a royal courtier or someone else of high standing, especially if you are to look at the candidness of her stare.
There is a general softness to this piece, due to her reclining pose, the light outside the window, and lack of shadows on and around her body.
She is the artist's depiction of Venus. The blonde hair, the reclining figure, the way her skin almost seems to glow and the slight covering of herself. To me, the hand grasping the flowers is trying to understate the fact of her purity and youth.

I personally like this piece, the perspective and composition is well done. You can tell that the maids are in the background of the piece. The only thing that's kind of confusing is where the wall/tapestry ends behind the subject. The edge seems too dark and too blunt for where it ends, especially compared with the brightness of the subject's body.
She also seems to float on her pillows, which lack a certain heaviness of her body leaning on them.
I really like the curve of her body against the sheets, and the proportions are relatively well-done (if not a little elongated.)
As a Venus, I think the subject is a little too frank, and lacks a certain amount of innocence. Especially since she appears to be so comfortable with herself.