Smokers 1633

David Teniers the Younger painted "Smokers" with oil on canvas, using traditional techniques of the Dutch Golden Age. But rather than the silk gowns of the upper crust, or elaborate still lifes, Teniers has given us a picture of working men relaxing in a humble tavern. The material reality of the scene is inescapable: roughspun clothing, earthenware jugs, and of course, the clay pipes and tobacco that give the painting its name. Teniers is attentive to the qualities of these humble materials. Look closely, and you can almost smell the acrid smoke and damp earthiness of the tavern. The painting isn't just about the act of smoking; it's about the social context, as tobacco grown and processed through exploited labor became accessible to a wider population, and how leisure and community were found within it. Teniers is reminding us that even in the most apparently straightforward paintings, materials and making are never far from broader issues of labor, politics, and consumption.