Tavern Scene
Artist: Adriaen Brouwer (Belgian, 1605/1606 - 1638)
Original Dimensions: 18 7/8" x 26 3/8"
Location: National Gallery of Art, London
About Artwork: (About 1635) "We are in a dingy tavern with a small gathering of drinkers and smokers squatting on low wooden stools and chairs. The focus of their attention – and ours – is the tussle going on between a man and a young woman on the left-hand side of the painting. The depiction is unusually lewd. The man, his trousers open at the front, is wedging the woman’s legs apart with his knee and forcing his hand up her skirts. She fights back, trying to push his hand away and pulling at his hair with a determined grip. The sharp cry of pain which distorts his face has attracted the attention of his fellow drinkers. Whether we are witnessing a prostitute fighting off a drunken client, a sexual assault on a barmaid or simply watching a lovers’ tiff isn’t made explicit." - (National Gallery of Art, London)

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