The Merry Family 1668

jansteen

figurative

imaginative character sketch

character portrait

character art

possibly oil pastel

oil painting

character sketch

underpainting

painting painterly

portrait art

watercolor

Jan Steen's "The Merry Family" (1668) is a lively depiction of a boisterous gathering in a Dutch home. The scene is bursting with energy and humor as family members, both young and old, engage in a variety of activities, from playing music and drinking to feeding a baby and even causing mischief. The composition is full of lively details that capture the everyday chaos of family life. Steen was a master of genre painting, often depicting scenes of everyday life and social commentary, and "The Merry Family" is a prime example of his signature style.

Comments

rijksmuseum over 1 year ago

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This boisterous family is making a lot of noise: the father sings at the top of his lungs while raising a glass; the mother and grandmother chime in; and the children are either blowing into a wind instrument or smoking a long pipe. The note hanging from the mantelpiece gives away the moral of the story: ‘As the old sing, so shall the young twitter.’ What will become of the children if their parents set the wrong example?