The Drunken Couple c. 1655 - 1665

Jan Steen’s painting, The Drunken Couple, presents us with a scene of disarray, its composition a careful arrangement of forms and textures. The light catches the slumped figures of the couple, drawing our eye to the immediate foreground, while the darkness of the interior softens the background. Steen uses the diagonal lines of the woman’s body and the man’s arm to create a sense of imbalance. The eye is then drawn to the edges of the composition: the dark doorway and shadowy figures in the background and the seemingly innocuous details of everyday objects. The painting gains meaning when viewed through the lens of semiotics. The seemingly realistic scene functions more like a sign; for example, the owl on the wall refers to a common Dutch proverb about foolishness. In this way, Steen undermines established meanings, using the domestic setting not to celebrate the virtues of home life but to challenge them. The artist creates a powerful commentary on morality, questioning fixed meanings and values.