Dutch school, 17th century

Dutch school of the XVII century.
"Tavern scene".
Oil on canvas.
The canvas has a tear in the upper left side. Slight damage in the margins because of an old frame. Measurements: 60 x 91 cm.
Located in a modest interior, the present scene shows an inconsequential subject located in a tavern. Three humble men and a woman, all of them dressed in the fashion of the moment and of the area, are situated around a table, seated on barrels converted into chairs. The protagonists converse among themselves, as it is possible to deduce from the gestures, and are accompanied by a series of elements, the qualities of which the artist has been concerned with, as is usual in the school since the Gothic works and the introduction of oil as a binder with the so-called Flemish.
This work is therefore part of the genre of tavern painting, created in early Baroque Flanders by the masters Adriaen Brouwer (1605 - 1638) and David Teniers (1610 - 1690), which would soon reach Holland. As its name suggests, these are scenes set in taverns, called costumbrista works for showing the common customs of the common people of the time, with a variety of styles important, but always maintaining both the theme and a clear preference for an earthy palette. Influenced by the two masters mentioned above, the painter who makes this type of work, usually works an interior space with a very refined chromatic range, based on earthy and ochre tones, typical of the naturalism of the first baroque. In terms of style, these painters would normally be close to Teniers (more detailed works; precise, loose but short brushstrokes, defining the shapes and qualities of figures and objects, without downplaying the importance of drawing), or Brower (more caricatured style, and brushstrokes and shapes different from those of Teniers).