Art and Appetite: American Painting, Culture and Cuisine at Art Institute of Chicago

Food and art enthusiasts should be excited for the exhibition that showcases food in American Painting that spans 1750-1965, which is on display until January 27th, 2014 in the Windy City. I wrote about food as the subject of painting for my grade 6 students not too long ago and created my own presentation here. Food is a great way to connect with students and drawing and painting food reinforces so many fundamental art skills I teach that include: how to draw volume, perspective, color theory and how to create an overall composition that has a focal point. Click here to see some of the final paintings my former grade 6 students created with tempera paint on canvas panels.

Lime and Coconut by Monica Hopenwasser

Sometimes when I feel like I am in an creative rut, I return to subjects I love (or hate, depending on my mood) to focus on my skills, rather than the concept or idea for the painting/drawing. I am a foodie and food is accessible, comforting and something I always go back to when I just need to draw and practice observation.

        

If you can't make it to Chicago, you can own the book that accompanies the exhibition, which I found at Barnes and Noble while holiday shopping and I was excited at the compilation of both well-known and some lesser known artists that I can share in my presentation when I teach this project. One criticism I have is that I wish the exhibition included more recent works and emerging talent from the past twenty years, instead of ending with the 1960s. With current trends of farm to table eating habits, banning of trans fats, and vegan and gluten free living, it would be interesting to see how artists today depict foods that reflect recent American culture, politics and economies and showcase more contemporary artists. 

 
Check out the links below to read reviews and learn more about the exhibition.
Art Institute of Chicago
Wall Street Journal Online
Chicago Reader
Chicagoist

ABC Local News Video

Food Paintings by Grade 6 Artists

Grade 6 students completed their food paintings that utilized Tempera Paints on canvas panels. Students did an amazing job painting and arranging their compositions, which demonstrated their understanding of creating a 3-D form on a 2-D surface. Students learned technical painting skills and color mixing techniques to make tints and shades, as well as how to analyze a work of art and create the illusion of depth in their painting. Check out some of the stellar artwork coming out of grade 6 this year... warning, looking at these paintings may make you hungry!
Click on photos for gallery view. Enjoy!

Burritos by Jason M., Grade 6

Half-n-Apple by Michael P., Grade 6

Untitled by Victoria G., Grade 6

Meat by Horace F., Grade 6

The Fine Fruit by Mai-Linh T., Grade 6

A Picnic With Watermelon by Alexandre K. Grade 6

Milks Favorite Cookie by Christina D., Grade 6

The Popsicle by Casey G., Grade 6

Salmon Sushi by Eika O., Grade 6

Now Are You Hungry? by Ben S., Grade 6

A Good English Snack by Yoshiya O., Grade 6

Dipped by Lili B., Grade 6

3mix Cake by Ayane N., Grade 6

The Leaning Tower of Pancakes by Emily L., Grade 6

120 Calories Worth by Robert C., Grade 6

The Slice by Eloise E., Grade 6

Single Seed by Madison A., Grade 6

Seeds by Mayu E., Grade 6

Untitled by Calev B., Grade 6

Dinner Was Served by Matthew R., Grade 6

Cheeze by Neils V., Grade 6

Compressed Breakfast by William D., Grade 6

Pi Apple Pie by Saahir G., Grade 6

Fluff by Melanie W., Grade 6

Steak Medium-Rare by Julia Z., Grade 6

Midday Snack by Rosale M., Grade 6

Four Reddish Raspberries by Io P., Grade 6

Inspiration: Food As The Subject In Painting

I love the theme of food as a subject for grade 6 painting projects. This project can be done at any age and reinforces key skills in drawing and painting and taps into prior knowledge too. This is a comprehensive, engaging painting project!

Here is a cool website that features 15 different food artists and sculptors that use food as the medium itself, as well as being the subject. I show this to students to expose them to the possibilities and get there creative juices flowing. http://webecoist.momtastic.com/2008/12/15/food-artists-and-sculptors/food

Food can be reflective of our history and culture, it can illuminate sociopolitical issues, economics, and it can be a sign of the times. Below is a presentation that I present to students to introduce them to artists and art history around the subject of food.

Paintings and drawings of food can date back to the Egyptians, who left behind artworks that illustrated the foods and rituals of daily life in their tombs. The Egyptians were farmers and ate lots of wheat and barley, as well as meat. We can see in the Egyptian drawing above the animals used for farming that indicates how they harvested their food over three thousand years ago.

The Metropolitan Museum Art History Timeline shows the history of Food and drink from 1400-1800 and gives some good background in European Painting.

Below are some artists that I find fascinating for their style and subject.

Giuseppe Acrimboldo (1527-1593) was an Italian painter that created surreal portraits composed of a variety of fruit, vegetables and other items from nature with incredible detail, strangeness and beauty.

Giuseppe Acrimboldo, Rudolf II of Habsburg as Vertumnus, Oil on Panel, 1590

The Dutch Realists of the 17th Century created still lifes and landscapes that broke away from the religious art that dominated Europe in previous centuries.  Artist Willem Kalf from Holland is a revered Dutch master known for his realism, sophistication and compositions that often featured the opulent objects and foods that the wealthy consumed or owned. Click here to read more about him and his work.

Willem Kalf, "Still Life with Drinking Horn", 1653

During the 1800s, another remarkable artist left his mark, Spanish Painter Francisco Goya who painted portraits for the courts and Spanish royalty and was associated with the Romanticism movement in Europe. He also explored political issues in his artwork and used his imagination to capture his feelings that depicted his gloomy outlook on humanity. According to http://www.foodcultureindex.com/2010/06/goyas-still-life-butchers-counter.html, Goya painted painted "Still Life, a Butcher's Counter" around 1811-1812, a period known as "ano del hambre," or year of hunger, because of the great famine in Madrid.

Francisco Goya, "Still Life, a Butcher's Counter", 1811-12

 
One of my favorite artists of the late 1800's is the French painter  Paul Cézanne . He spanned the 19th and 20th centuries and was part of the Post-Impressionism movement that inspired many modern artists that followed him. He painted still lifes and landscapes and was known for his brushstrokes and the movement they generated in his paintings and the use complementary colors that created harmony and contrast in his artworks.

 Paul Cézanne, Dish of Apples,  1875–77

French artist Henri Matisse, a contemporary of Cézanne, also painted many still lifes that often included food with bold color and simplified brushstrokes.

Henri Matisse, Blue Still Life, 1907

The prolithic and talented Spanish artist Pablo Picasso also included food in some of his still lifes and you can see below how he departed from realism and abstracted his composotion with fragmented, geometric, bold lines and simplified forms inspired by the earlier Cubist movement he pioneered with fellow artist Georges Braque.

Pablo Picasso, Still Life with Skull, Leeks and Pitcher, 1945, 28.75 x 45.6 in., Fine Arts Museum of SF

 
During the 1960s, American artist Wayne Thiebaud exploded onto the art scene with his whimsical paintings of cakes, pies and sweets that had a distinct style with cool shadows, rich brushstrokes and use of the color white. I am a huge fan of his work and many other artists have been inspired by his subject and approach over the past 60 years.

"Three Machines" (1963), by Wayne Thiebaud. De Young Museum, San Francisco.

After countless Internet searches, I have discovered many American Contemporary artists who continue to be inspired by food and make art about it. Check out my compilation of artists below and read more about them by clicking on their names to learn more.

Kevin Inman, San Diego, CA
Pink Bunny Easter Peeps

6 x 6 inches, oil on canvas on board

Pamela Michelle Johnson, Chicago, IL
Hostess Cupcake II

52"x 34" inches, oil on canvas, 2009

Debbie Miller, Barrington, RI
A Little Sushi

6 in X 6 inches, oil on masonite, 2009

Ralph Goings, California
Double Ketchup

 22 x 32.75 inches, edition of 30, 2006

Elizabeth Fraser, Portland, ME
Avocado, My Favorite

6 in X 6 inches, oil on canvas, 2011

Sarah Sedwick, Eugene, OR
 Steak and Eggs

10 in X 8 inches, oil on canvas, 2012

Wayne Thiebaud, Food Paintings, and Generating Ideas

We just completed our cupcake drawings and then were introduced to the artwork of Wayne Thiebaud, who is an American Artist famous for his dessert paintings.  We watched a great video about his retrospective from CBS News from the early 2000's. Click here to check it out.

Next, we are starting our Painting Unit, which involves learning new rituals and routines in the art room, as well as developing our painting technique and style.  We analyzed Thiebauds' painting style that used a lot of white, cool colors, prominent shadows and repetition of subject to name a few characteristics of his dessert paintings. Food is the theme for our first painting project and students will apply their newly learned drawing skills to create a 3-D form on a 2-D surface.

Students responded to the following questions to generate a list of ideas to be the subject of their paintings and then we shared our answers in a group discussion. Students loved talking about food and it was fun to discover what students liked and gave insight into their personality and identity.

Brainstorm Activity:

In your sketchbook brainstorm in response to the following questions …

1.What are your favorite foods/dishes? (List 5)

2.What are your least favorite foods/dishes? (List 5)

3. What is your favorite snack/candy?

4. What is the food/dish most cooked in your home?

5. What food do you love the smell of?

Tips On Creating a Composition and Taking a Good Photo

Many of our projects use reference images or draw from observation so students can develop their eye and learn how to see things in terms of shape and line to "breakdown" the image so they can learn how to draw better.

In Grade 6, we discussed reference images and how to take a good photo, rather than just find one on the Internet.  We also talked about composition, white balance and temperature and were introduced to the Rule of Thirds.
Below are some of the points/lessons reviewed in class.