[1] Aidan Dunne of The Irish Times says the young men first looked like "trainee optometrists",[4] and The Guardian's Adrian Searle says he thought they were being trained in dentistry or cosmetic surgery before he spotted the thin lines, which he describes as "pure light or tears".

[5] The art historian and curator Ziba de Weck Ardalan says she thought they might be medical students before seeing that the heads below look identical to those of the pupils, who appear to be crying into the eyes below them.

[5] Weck Ardalan sees the painting as an example of how Borremans uses balance and colour to create a sense of timelessness and nostalgia, reminiscent of old film stills, despite portraying unusual subjects.

Although the techniques are similar, she differentiates Borremans' works from Romantic paintings because they do not focus on the feelings of the individual, but on existence in human society, the absurd in life within a complex world and the tension between the animate and the inanimate, inviting viewers to an irrational perspective.

[6] The Pupils was part of Borremans' solo exhibition The Performance, first held at the Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst in Ghent from 5 February to 17 April 2005.