Focus on this artwork and analyze the Interpretations.
Based on the scraps of shrimp and basket of apples on the floor, it can be interpreted that this boy is resting after having eaten.The act of delousing oneself can be seen as a way of being in control of one's own mind and body, a hygienic act often done by mothers in Dutch genre paintings.What makes The Young Beggar emotionally appealing is how the boy is unaffected by his poor circumstance. The boy has been compared to a horse named Rocinante from the picaresque novel, Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantès, who had an odd personality and took on overbearing tasks. Rocinante was seen as a low-quality horse who was infested with pests like the boy.
genre painting picaresque horse hygienic Rocinante Dutch Miguel de Cervantès Don Quixote delousing emotionally appealing