The painting The Smoker by Joos van Craesbeeck is a 17th century work showing a man smoking a cigar and drinking wine. Unlike most of the representations of the time, which show high society people and church members, this work presents an ordinary character of the time.
The painting is noted for its ability to capture the texture and light of the objects depicted. The man's clothes, the bottle, the cigarette smoke, everything looks very realistic and detailed.
This work is believed to be a self-portrait by van Craesbeeck and was influential in genre painting, which was characterized by depicting scenes from the daily lives of ordinary people. "El Fumador" is an excellent display of the realism and attention to detail that characterized 17th century Flemish painting, and is a work that is still appreciated today for its ability to capture the daily life of the time.
