Vermeer's "A Lady Writing" at Norton Simon

I noted a few things about Vermeer's A Lady Writing when I saw the original painting at Norton Simon:

1. diagonal composition intersecting with the frame at the background, the direction of the look, and the immediacy of the moment captured draws the viewer into the piece;

2. softness of chiaroscuro and the size of the painting make it very intimate;

3. this painting certainly has some mysterious quality: there is undercurrent contrast/tension between the warm yellow coat the lady is wearing and the cold green color of the table cloth (lost in this reproduction); also, the light (from a window?) makes the viewer uncertain of the time of the day and the weather/season.

4. the painting is also about the look, and the way the lady is looking makes you guess who she is and the relationship between her and the viewer (artist).

I was hypnotized by the artwork.