The Peasants' Lunch (c. 1642), oil on canvas, 122 x 97 cm, held in the collection of the Louvre Museum in Paris. The Le Nain brothers are a rare trio of painter siblings in art history: Antoine, Louis, and Mathieu. They were representative French painters active in the 17th century, settling in Paris around 1629. Their artistic characteristic is that under a kind of plain realism, they often depicted mythological and religious themes. What makes them particularly special is their moving paintings of the daily lives of impoverished peasants. In their sincere art, the Le Nain brothers became pioneers of realism in contemporary society, much like Millet of the Barbizon School in the early 19th century.

The painting The Peasants' Lunch is quite precious because when we visit the Louvre Museum, we are almost always immersed in an atmosphere of magnificent images representing divine right, royal power, and nobility. This painting allows us to further understand the other side of the mirror of political power: the imagery of the common people. From this work depicting the radiance of humanity in a peasant lunch, we do not see the forms of Ancient Greece or the Renaissance, nor the rich colors of Rubens; it is completely permeated with monotonous, dull brown tones, like the faded colors under royal authority. An impoverished peasant family gathers around a crude low table in a low, dark room; on the table there is only a lump of coarse bread and a jug of wine. The elders and young follow proper order, wearing simple, plain clothes. They appear somewhat disheveled, barefoot, with unkempt faces, solid bodies, and rough hands. Centered around the old peasant preparing to eat, a barefoot little boy facing sideways toward the audience looks at us with a questioning gaze. Behind the old peasant, another little boy wearing a hat stares at the audience. To the left, a couple: the husband sits drinking, while the wife, wearing a traditional hat, stands beside him, with a friendly, cute pug at her feet.

The entire work forms a complete three-dimensional structure through the bright light from the right, emitting a harmonious, plain inner strength and beauty. There is no mythological allegory here; it is the most concrete reflection of social hierarchy. This sincere imagery endows the peasants with a spiritual dignity, also reminding one of the peasants eating potatoes painted by Van Gogh (1885), sharing a certain similar relationship. Back then, a French queen told those complaining poor people, "If they have no bread, let them eat cake." We can imagine how the French Social Revolution would soon happen!