Happy drinker

Pieter de Hooch captured this jovial tavern scene showing a man enjoying his drink in a sunlit interior. The figure raises his glass with evident pleasure, his ruddy face expressing contentment. Light streams through a window, illuminating the carefully rendered textures of his clothing and the simple room.

De Hooch was famous for his domestic interiors with their precise rendering of light and space. This tavern scene shows his ability to bring warmth and humanity to everyday subjects. Now at the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin.