Brouwer, Adriaen

Brouwer or Brauwer, Adriaen (both: ä`drēän' brou`ər), c.1606–1638, Flemish painter who worked in Haarlem. He studied with Hals at the same time as did the young Ostade, and the influence of their two styles, as well as that of Rubens, is apparent in his paintings. Brouwer is noted for his depictions of peasant life, particularly of drinking scenes and humorously treated single figures sleeping or smoking. Brouwer's early canvases were richly colored, in the Flemish style, while his later works (1631–38) were often monochromatic, a characteristic of the contemporary Dutch fashion. Brouwer was also an important master of landscape and a superb draftsman. His Drinkers at a Table (Brussels) and The Smokers (Metropolitan Mus.) are characteristic.

Bibliography

See study by G. Knuttel (tr. 1962).

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Brouwer, Adriaen

(born 1605/06, Oudenaarde, Flanders—died January 1638, Antwerp) Flemish painter. After studying with Frans Hals in Haarlem c. 1623, he returned to Flanders and by 1631 had settled in Antwerp. His pictures, mostly small and painted on panels, typically depict peasants drinking and brawling in taverns. The coarseness of his subjects was in direct contrast to his delicate technique; his virtuoso brushwork and sparkling tonal values were unsurpassed. Brouwer popularized genre painting in Flanders and Holland. Adriaen van Ostade and David Teniers were among his many followers.