Still life works of art whose subject is food, or relates to food, have been central to the development of the history of painting: from Egyptian, Greek and Roman periods through Impressionism and Contemporary Art. The depiction of food subjects in painting has a long tradition, representing the magical properties of food for the Egyptians and the importance of hospitality and wealth for the Romans. Some of the earliest surviving images of food are mosaics and wall paintings from Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Through the early centuries, artists depicted food imagery and themes in their religious paintings as a way of incorporating everyday life into allegorical subjects. By the 16th century, religious content started to diminish as an explosion of interest in the natural world emerged. Botanical encyclopedias and scientific illustration of species encouraged new interest in the realistic depiction of plants and food. The Dutch realists embraced still life painting as a genre in the 17th century, painting beautifully-detailed cornucopias and table settings of elegant food. As in Roman times, the representation of food in a lavish setting reinforced the importance and power of wealthy patrons. In Spain, the Baroque painters worked in a style called bodega, which means pantry. Their subjects were still lifes of pantry items and drink, simply presented against a dark background with extreme attention to detail. The austerity of their paintings of fruit, bread and wine was considered representative of their religious fervor, in the same way that a painting of a Renaissance Madonna and child was in the 15th century.
The genre of still life painting flourished in the 19th century. In France, artists like Cezanne, Manet, and Van Gogh all painted still lifes with food and food-related subjects. They treated the rendering of a pear in the same way they treated a portrait or landscape subject. The focus of the still life genre for them was to represent the importance of ordinary and necessary “objects”, and by doing so, to glorify them. In America, artists like the Peale family in Philadelphia, Severin Roesen, William Merritt Chase and the Ream brothers all pursued the food still life with a traditional, academic sensibility. Many artists explored Realism through still life subjects, and the “kitchen tableau” became a subcategory of still life painting during this period. Modern artists continued to explore the genre into the 20th century where artists as different as Picasso, Morandi, Warhol and Thiebaud all worked with images of food. Contemporary renderings of food often took on social and political nuance, highlighting issues of “bounty” and class differences in our society.
It is natural that collector and chef Joseph Famularo would have been drawn to still life paintings of food and the glories of the table. Mr. Famularo’s life revolved around his kitchen, food, and the joy of sharing his love of cooking with his friends and family. Included in his collection is a nice group of food-related still lifes that exemplify the genre. Please see above for the slideshow.
For inquiries regarding the items in this sale please contact us at 518-751-1000 or info@stairgalleries.com.