Visual Analysis of “The Smoker” by Adriaen Brouwer

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Visual analysis of “The Smoker” by Adriaen Brouwer
For this visual analysis paper, I chose the painting “The Smokers” by Adriaen Brouwer. The painting is skillfully made, integrating texture, subject and element selection, and technique in order to bring out the theme of amusement. I started the visual analysis from the center, carefully examining how the gaze is directed into expansion, and overall integration of the different elements in the picture. The artist’s technique is highlighted in his use of different textures, and his inclusion of objects of interest by use of realism. The painting captures a moment in time, depicting emotion, expression, action and motion.
The artist, Adriaen Brouwer, featured himself as the central foreground and included rudiments that are visually appealing and guiding the viewer’s eyes into essential objects that create the mood and theme of the painting. The painting depicts a scene of enjoyment and being at peace. It features a band of men who are smoking, probably a mix of tobacco and hemp. They are altogether, enjoying smoking even if they come from different lines of work, judging from their clothes. All The setting is a barn or tavern, which is a place for men to come together and do what they do as friends.
The central character, Brouwer himself, seems to be aghast by the smoke that he just inhaled, giving an expression of surprise while suddenly exhaling the smoke. He also looks like he is eager to take a sip of the drink in his mug, probably beer. There seems to be a synergy to the objects that the central character holds, adding to the theme of the scene. At the center of the image are rolled papers stuffed with the herb that they are smoking. The viewer is guided to infer this by the diagonal direction depicted by the central character’s knee, which points to the fallen crumpled paper that seem to have some bits of dried tobacco or some kind of herb. The artist positioned the central character to guide the viewer’s attention into different important elements of the painting.
The central foreground is the immediate attraction to the viewer’s gaze. The central character’s hands are shown a little bit higher from the center of the picture. He holds two objects, a pipe on his left hand, and a mug on his right. It gives the central theme of the action in the situation which is smoking a psychoactive substance, and drinking of an intoxication liquor. These activities are shared among the other characters in the scene. From the central character’s mou...