More about Interior of a Tavern

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There’s a lot going on in Brouwer’s 17th century painting Scene at the Inn.

We like to think of this painting as the precursor to modern-day fraternity culture. It’s got all the hallmark signs of a great night: dudes, drinks, debauchery, and vomit. Let’s quickly note the guy passed out down at the bottom. His obscenely large pants-bulge does an excellent job at setting the stage for the rest of the scene’s unrestrained masculine energy. 

The bizzarity of the fact that all of these men bear an uncanny resemblance to Donald Trump is only marginally outweighed by the fact that the room appears to be catching fire. There’s a mysterious figure on the top right who appears to be sneaking away from the scene and I’d wager a guess that he’s got something to do with that fire. Hopefully the dudes have enough of their wits about them to stop drop and roll.

Brouwer himself was renowned for his alcoholism and bohemian lifestyle. He most often painted richly detailed scenes of peasant revelry, using drunkenness and foolish behavior as a way to illustrate the emotional experiences of humankind...like having a wicked hangover.