Research Guides: FBM 1110: Food Culture and Introduction to Wine: Food Culture

Food in Art

Egyptian art depicts two large wealthy individuals surrounded by other people much smaller that are performing tasks such as sowing, raising cattle, and preparing grain.

East Wall, South Side of Nakht's Offering Chapel

Artist Unknown
c. between 1410 and 1370 B.C.
Tempera on paper, Framed: 171.5 cm (67 1/2 in.); w. 226.7 cm (89 1/4 in.); th. 6.4 cm (2 1/2 in.)
TT52, Egypt
Currently on view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 135

Roman wall painting depicting autumn produce, grapes, apples, and pomegranates overflowing a large glass bowl, next to a tilting amphora and a terracotta pot of preserved fruit

Mural of Roman Foods

Artist Unknown
c. around A.D. 70
Fresco, 108 X 70 cm
Pompeii, Italy

Against the backdrop of an imaginary landscape, a young woman is surrounded by baskets overflowing with fruit and vegetables, painted with a sharp eye for realism.

The Fruit Seller

Campi, Vincenzo
c. 1580
Oil on canvas, 145 x 215 cm
Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan

Fruit, bread, and cheese – grouped by type – are set on a table covered with costly damask tablecloths. The illusion of reality is astounding; the pewter plate extending over the edge of the table seems close enough to touch.

Still Life with Cheese

van Dijck, Floris
c. 1615
Oil on panel, 82.2cm × 111.2cm
Haarlem, Netherlands

The background includes just about every variety of blue and green on Van Gogh’s palette. Over that, he added brushstrokes in contrasting colours: yellow, orange, red and pink. He used these same colour combinations for the apples in the foreground, but in the opposite order: the warm tones first, followed by cool green and blue accents.

Apples

van Gogh, Vincent
c. September-October 1887
oil on canvas, 45.7 cm x 60.4 cm
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Thirty-two images of different cans of Campbell's soup. Each can is half red with white lettering and half white with red lettering. In the center is a gold roundel.

Campbell's Soup Cans

Warhol, Andy
c. 1962
Acrylic with metallic enamel paint on canvas, Each canvas 20 x 16" (50.8 x 40.6 cm). Overall installation with 3" between each panel is 97" high x 163" wide
Manhattan, New York

A taupe table against a cream wall with rows of different types of cakes and pies in a six-by-six grid at a 30-degree angle. The colors of the baked goods are earth tones of brown and yellow sitting on top of white plates.

Pie Counter

Thiebaud, Wayne
c. 1963
Oil on canvas, 29 13/16 × 35 15/16in. (75.7 × 91.3 cm)
New York City, New York

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