The Lean Kitchen

This 1653 painting of The Lean Kitchen is the companion to The Fat Kitchen, together illustrating the proverb about the contrast between plenty and want. Steen frequently paired compositions to create moral contrasts, a device rooted in the Netherlandish tradition of instructive art. Steen worked in oil on panel and canvas with a warm, rich palette reflecting his training under Jan van Goyen and his admiration for Gerrit Dou. His workshop output, produced alongside careers as brewer and innke...

The painting contrasts with its companion through sparse, muted composition, demonstrating Steen's versatility in using visual means to convey the message of want and deprivation.