Brouwer, Adriaen

(born 1605/06, Oudenaarde, Flanders—buried Feb. 1, 1638, Antwerp) Flemish painter. According to his biographer Arnold Houbraken, he studied with Frans Hals in Haarlem, Neth., c. 1623, though others suggest that he studied under his own father. By 1631 he had settled in Antwerp. His pictures, mostly small and painted on panels, typically depict peasants drinking and brawling in taverns. The coarseness of his subjects was in direct contrast to his delicate technique; his virtuoso brushwork and sparkling tonal values were unsurpassed. Brouwer popularized genre painting in Flanders and Holland. Adriaen van Ostade and David Teniers were among his many followers.

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