The Effects of Intemperance

The painting depicts a crowded Dutch interior with several figures in various poses around a doorway and a cluttered table piled with fruit, bread, dishes, and metal vessels, suggesting a scene of domestic disorder. The composition uses overlapping figures and a strong diagonal from the kneeling woman in blue and yellow in the foreground toward the back, creating depth and a sense of bustling activity. The color palette is warm and earthy—ochres, browns, pinks, and greens with bright blue and yellow accents—rendered in precise, naturalistic brushwork typical of Jan Steen’s lively genre scenes.