1640
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Peasants Fighting in a Tavern is a 1640 ink by Adriaen van Ostade, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a chaotic tavern scene with a group of rough-looking men fighting. Some are sprawled on the floor, others stand or scuffle, while a man in a hat watches from a balcony above. The room looks messy—barrels, chairs, and broken tools are scattered around, and the lighting is dim. The artist used quick, sketchy lines to capture the energy of the moment, almost like a hurried drawing. The mix of dark ink and light washes gives it a rough, unfinished feel. Next, check out cross-hatching to see how artists build texture with layers of lines.
Adriaen van Ostade (baptized as Adriaen Jansz Hendricx 10 December 1610 – buried 2 May 1685) was a Dutch Golden Age painter of genre works, showing the everyday life of ordinary men and women.
See the richer artist page
