Caroline Becker
Professor Olsen
IWC 100
14 December 2022
The Delicious History of Food in Art
Inside the Vincent Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, there sits a dimly lit display room, starkly contrasting the lighter atmospheres of the rest of the museum’s exhibits. Here, art and history enthusiasts are able to take in one of Van Gogh’s darker and more famous works – witnessing the tone of despair and struggle is overwhelming in this centerpiece painting. Other than obvious characteristics of the artwork such as the muted colors and vacant faces of Van Goph’s subjects, there still seems to be a hidden factor which causes this work to be so desperately painful. The answer to this, though, may reside in the name of the work itself – “De Aardappeleters”, or “The Potato Eaters” in English. Why does the subject of food, especially as seemingly mundane as the potato, cause Van Gogh’s painting to be so mesmerizing? Artists, such as Van Gogh, have utilized the subject of food within their artwork in order to relay deep and meaningful messages to their intended audiences throughout art history.
When originally painting “The Potato Eaters”, Van Gogh deliberately aimed to tell a story much deeper than that simply of a family taking part in dinner together. Rather, his goal was to shed light upon “the harsh reality of country life”, and the effort the subjects have exerted in order to maintain a decent living (“Vincent van Gogh”). Van Gogh is trying to make a statement to his viewers by specifically using the common potato in his finished artwork, rather than any other staple food item one might expect during meal time. The potato, in this instance, “speaks of manual labor” that the poor farming families had to complete in order to maintain sufficient nutrition, and as Van Gogh said specifically in a letter to his brother about the painting, “they have thus honestly earned their food” for that specific meal (Van Gogh). The potato in this specific case is what would be modernly described as a “struggle meal” for this family, as they do not have the luxury of affording extravagant and classy cuisine.
For historical context, when “The Potato Eaters” was first painted in 19th century Netherlands, the potato was seen as the basic component of any mealtime, as its bounty throughout Europe caused it to be widely available for the lower classes of people. Potatoes became so common, in fact, that it was soon considered “the bread for the poor people”, and became a necessary tool for survival throughout the poor farmland of European society (Hautvast). The simple potato quickly became a defining characteristic of the lower socio-economic population of society, and Van Gogh (being poor throughout life himself) felt compelled to tell the story of these calloused and hardworking people. According to the Vincent Van Gogh Museum, Van Gogh himself did not put as much emphasis on getting the precise anatomy or proportionalism of the subjects right within his work or painting with a flashy color pallet – instead, “the message of the painting was more important” (Van Gogh Museum). Rather than titling “The Potato Eaters” by a name that more explicitly stated his intent of showcasing the struggles of the lower class population, Van Gogh instead allows the historical context of the potato to relay the deeper meaning of his work.
Even before Van Gogh’s lifetime, many artists were utilizing the subject of food within their art to convey a specific message to their intended audience. An example of an artist who explored the extensive opportunities of food in art was Giuseppe Arcimboldo. Rather than trying to send a message through his artwork, the 16th century painter Arcimboldo instead focuses his attention on portraying things he witnessed throughout his lifetime in the form of eccentric and avant-garde portraits. Living as a professional painter, Arcimboldo worked for one of the most prestigious lineages in all of Europe – The Hapsburg Family. Living under the employment of two separate rulers (first Maximillian II and then later Rudolf II), Arcimboldo had the opportunity to experience the pleasures of living under the care of the rich and wealthy. Both rulers were large proponents for the exploration and domination of new and foreign lands, so they would constantly be receiving “exotic plants and animals” from places such as the “New World, Africa, and Asia” to be further collected under Arcimboldo’s watchful eye(“An Eye for Art”). The extensive collection of colorful and fresh fruits, vegetables, and other new sources of food were the inspiration for arguably his most famous works, entitled “The Four Seasons”.
“The Four Seasons” comprises four separate paintings all with the same theme, which portrays the four seasons of the year as “portraits” consisting of the specific vegetation associated with each respectively. The foods within the art itself were painted boldly and extravagantly by Arcimboldo, alluding to the bounty of references that he would have had access to during his time spent living under the privileges of royalty. According to Tucker from The Joy of Eating, specifically in regards to the use of certain foods within Arcimboldo’s artwork, “each of the ingredients denoted regions in the New World that rulers, including Rudolf 11, wished to dominate. The imaginative portraits cast the royal subjects in a majestic light, constructing their likeness using the bounty of luxuries available to them ” (qtd. in Glenn 9). The food was not picked only for its ability to catch the eyes of viewers, but Arcimboldo also chose his food references specifically to represent the overlying trend of imperialism throughout the Hapsburg dynasty.
Examples of Arcimboldo’s clever symbolism can be seen in specific instances within “The Four Seasons”. Arcimboldo’s installation entitled “Summer” focuses its attention on fruits and vegetables such as cherries, peaches, garlic, peapods, cucumbers, and other arrays of foreign produce in full bloom – all of which reinforce his metaphor of the extravagant lifestyles of the rich. Also shown within Arcimboldo’s paintings are “exotic specimens, such as corn and eggplant, which sophisticated viewers would recognize as rare cultivars from the New World and beyond, where so many European rulers hoped to extend their influence” (Tucker 2011). Besides using food to represent the atmosphere of 16th century Europe, “The Four Seasons” has also been interpreted to be a depiction of Arcimboldo’s life from his own perspective (Tucker 2011). Starting with the innocent and blooming “Spring” and ending chronologically with the aged and baren “Winter”, the life of a man (in the case Arcimboldo himself) can be seen through the metaphor of the growth and eventual death of the fruits and vegetables depicted.
Though the use of food as a central topic for artwork has been present since the time of cave drawings in centuries past, a more recent example of modern food art can be found within the work of artist Andy Warhol. During the mid to late 1900s, the increasingly popular movement of art, categorized as “Abstract Expressionism”, dominated the global art stage (Miller). Abstract Expressionism is subjectively challenging, as it is seen by many critics as a type of art specifically catered to an elite and highly-educated audience. Warhol, contrastingly, acted as a catalyst for the “Pop Art” movement of the same time, which glorified the seemingly banal objects of everyday life. According to The History Channel, artists like Warhol who took part in the Pop Art movement, “used humor and irony to comment on how mass production and consumerism had come to dominate so much of American life and culture” (Delson). In order to make art more accessible to greater masses of people, Warhol aimed to gather inspiration from what is arguably the most universally understood topic throughout all of the human population – food.
Warhol’s famous work, entitled “Campbell’s Soup Cans”, perfectly encapsulates the principles the Pop Art movement is based around. The inspiration for the collection of paintings did not come from a desire for Warhol to convey deep, coded messages for his audience to cipher while viewing his work, but rather he found motivation to paint from his everyday diet – which not surprisingly consisted frequently of a can of Campbell’s soup (Miller). The inclusion of the recognizable and understandable subject of food within artwork, though simple, has the ability to open art up to a larger population that was once disregarded as unworthy of enjoying its privileges. When first released, some critics labeled Warhol’s work as “sterile, cold, and mechanical”, but since then, the modern interpretation of his straightforward work evokes feelings of “nostalgia” from its viewers (Miller). Now, due to Warhol’s use of the common soup can, art is now recognized by both hobbyists and critics as fun and lighthearted. According to author Susan Delson, “ How hard could it be to understand a painting when the original was probably on your kitchen shelf?” (Delson). Though Warhol’s art continued to possess specific qualities attributed to the classic concept of a physical painting, its overall innovations in the art-world paved the way for the progressive forms of artwork of the future generations.
Increasingly throughout the past century, the rise in the Aesthetics Movement in regards to food has turned traditional artistry, such as a tangible piece of artwork contained to a frame that is hung on a wall, to a more abstract interpretation of its meaning. The Aesthetics Movement, which focuses on the beauty of art and everyday life, defines its subject-matter as, “the complex cultural institution in which works of art are embedded, including artistic creation, performance, appreciation, interpretation, criticism, judgement, and the various roles the arts play in people’s lives and in society” (Walton 172). Food in particular has become a progressively defining sect of the movement, as its versatility allows it to perform a wide variety of tasks. In modern art, food can either be used to represent its objective self, or, according to the book The Joy of Eating, “contemporary food-themed artworks” are able to “evoke age-old metaphors for religious ideology, impermanence, spoilage, and fertility”, as well as many other messages the artist is aiming to convey (Glenn 11). Food as a medium draws artists in, because (as mentioned previously) it is a universally understood topic for all people, not just a select audience.
Rather than art being something that is only witnessed from afar, innovative takes on food art have opened the door for audiences to truly experience the art that is presented to them. For example, chef Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, alive in the early to mid 20th century, presented his take on what would be recognized presently as the artform that is the “high-end” cuisine experience. In 1932, Marinetti published The Futuristic Cookbook – rather than a cookbook simply containing recipes, he presented food in a way that seemed more performative than just for the satisfaction of taste and nutrition. According to the Smithsonian Magazine, “the book prescribed the necessary elements for a perfect meal. Such dining had to feature originality, harmony, sculptural form, scent, music between courses, a combination of dishes, and variously flavored small canapés” (Butler). Artists such as Marinetti redefined art from something that was previously believed only to be a quantitative object, to that which can instead be gathered through certain experiences. Contemporary art has begun to integrate deeper into the culinary world, as many exclusive restaurants are now “invoking diners’ senses of smell, taste, touch, and hearing in addition to the sculptural fronds of greens, geometric slabs of fish and wild rice, aromatic scents released from glass cloches, or brightly colored purees painted with brushes on crisp paper to delight their senses” (Glenn 11). Though this type of food artistry is still specifically catered to the wealthy elites of society, certain artists are specifically intending for their artwork to be viewed and experienced by the average person.
One such artist who specifically produced art for the intended audience of the average person is Félix González-Torres. During his life, González-Torres was a visual artist who focused his artwork on audience participation with his minimalist-style installations. After his partner tragically died due to AIDS in 1991, González-Torres was heartbreakingly inspired to create one of his most famous pieces, referred to as “Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.)”. This visually insignificant piece consists of a pile of hard candies, typically stacked in the corner of a room, in which viewers are encouraged to take a piece from the pile to eat. Though on the surface level this can be seen as a simple gesture of distributing candy, González-Torres implies something much deeper. According to the description of the installation within the Art Institute of Chicago, “regardless of its physical shape, the label lists its ideal weight [175 pounds], likely corresponding to the average body weight of an adult male, or perhaps the ideal weight of the subject referred to in the title, Ross” (“Untitled”). With each candy taken from the pile, González-Torres is expressing how the horrifying disease which is AIDS slowly deteriorated his partner’s life until their untimely death. Unfortunately, González-Torres would meet a similar fate, much like his art suggests, when he himself died in the year 1996 from the same disease. Though the hard candies were used as the messenger for González-Torres, the deeper understanding of the artwork spans much farther.
In all, the presence of food within art is not a novel subject, nor is it strictly historical either. Though the paintings of artists such as Arcimboldo and Van Gogh are quite different in their execution and overall purpose, their inclusion of food within their historically significant paintings gives modern historians brief insight to the struggles and luxuries of the past. Warhol and Marinetti, contrastingly, use the subject of food rather to promote their lack of deeper meaning within artwork, as they aim to promote the overall pleasure that food produces. Finally, food has the ability to emote feelings such as love and loss, as witnessed in the work of González-Torres. All of these artists reflect how all humans are different in almost every aspect possible – people talk, live, think, and even feel differently, so it is difficult to find areas of life in which there are shared commonalities. Though preference may change its outward appearance, the necessity to eat food is shared amongst every person who has ever lived, which is why it has been a staple for artists throughout history to appeal to their audiences within their artwork. Though art is never the same, food in art will always remain constant.
Works Cited
“An Eye for Art .” National Gallery of Art, https://www.nga.gov/content/dam/ngaweb/Education/learning-resources/an-eye-for-art/AnEyeforArt-ChuckClose.pdf.
“Arcimboldo’s Feast for the Eyes.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 1 Jan. 2011, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/arcimboldos-feast-for-the-eyes-74732989/.
Butler, Sharon. “A Brief History of Food as Art.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 13 Jan. 2017, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/food-art-cultural-travel-180961648/.
Delson, Susan. “Andy Warhol’s Soup Can Paintings: What They Mean and Why They Became a Sensation.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 22 Dec. 2020, https://www.history.com/news/andy-warhol-1962-soup-can-paintings-meaning-reaction.
Glenn, Jane K. The Joy of Eating: A Guide to Food in Modern Culture . Greenwood , 2022.
Hautvast, Joseph G. A. J. “The Potato Eaters.” Lancet, vol. 354, Dec. 1999, p. SIV37. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.cordproxy.mnpals.net/10.1016/S0140-6736(99)90380-X
Miller, Brenna. “Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans, 1962.” Origins, 1 Nov. 1970, https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/november-2012-andy-warhol-s-campbell-s-soup-cans-1962?language_content_entity=en.
Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.) 1991, Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, U.S.A.
Van Gogh, Vincent. Received by Theo Van Gogh, Van Gogh Letters, 30 Apr. 1885, https://vangoghletters.org/vg/letters/let497/letter.html. Accessed 5 Dec. 2022.
“Vincent Van Gogh – The Potato Eaters.” Van Gogh Museum, https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/collection/s0005v1962.
Walton, Kendall L. “Aesthetics.” In The Dictionary of Arts, vol.1, edited by Jane Turner, 171-174. New York: Grove 1996