Is There More Meaning to Paintings of Food Than Just a Work of Art?
- Rebecca Lethbridge
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
A brief summary pre-Pop Art.
Before focusing on more contemporary art from the Pop Art period onwards it is useful to give a brief overview from the Stone Age to Abstract Expressionism, to understand the history of food painting in art.
As far back as 15,000 BC Stone Age people painted the animals they hunted for meat on the walls of their caves to honour them and offer them as a sacrifice to God, reflecting their religious beliefs[i]. Similarly, the Ancient Egyptians painted luxurious food on the walls of their pyramids and tombs, such as duck, fish and grapes, believing these would nourish the dead in their afterlife[ii].
By the time we get to the Romans and the Middle Ages, art often included foods with a religious connection specifically to Jesus Christ. For example, in Roman times grapes became a representation of fertility and salvation, being linked to the blood of Christ, whilst in the Middle Ages, bread was often depicted to represent his body because at the last supper he broke the bread and gave it to his disciples and told them it represented his body[iii].
The Baroque period included many still lifes depicting wealth, by including foods such as cheese and lobsters as symbols of lavishness and an extravagant lifestyle[iv]. During the Impressionism and Post-Impressionism periods, many works of art featured foods that could symbolise vulnerability, love, kindness and hardship. With their hard skin but softer flesh, melons could be a symbol of how people appear tough on the outside, but are more vulnerable on the inside[v]. Meanwhile, peaches appear soft on the outside suggesting love and kindness, but when painted cut open the hard stone in the middle is revealed to symbolise the fact that lives could be more challenging beneath the surface. Potatoes were used to highlight the reality of what peasants went through and how little choice they had of things to eat[vi].
In the Surrealism period, many artists painted illusions and often incorporated a strange combination of objects, or used one object to represent another[vii]. For example, the pear was often used to depict part of a women’s face or hair, symbolising fruitfulness and femininity, whilst the apple was sometimes used to hide what was behind it, suggesting that people are more interested in what they can’t see than what they can see[viii].
The ‘Abstract Expressionism’ period occurred during the 1940s – 1950s. Throughout these years some historical events took place, for example U.S.S.R. suppresses Hungarian revolt (1956) and the characteristics were Post-World War II: pure abstraction and expression without form. Gorky, Pollock (created paintings with no brush marks), de Kooning and Rothko (famous for large vibrant colour blocks) are all examples of famous artists from this time. This period consisted of lines, shapes and colours which explains why there are no recognisable paintings of food[ix].
Pop Art.
In more recent times, Pop Art and Post-Modernism periods have used food to symbolise issues such as consumerism and slavery, such as ice cream to symbolise consumerism and sugar to represent the reliance on slaves and their poor working conditions in the sugar industry.
The ‘Pop Art’ period happened throughout the 1960s. Warhol, Lichtenstein and Thiebaud are all examples of artists during this period and the characteristics were popular art absorbs consumerism. This period began in the United Kingdom, and it expanded to New York City. Pop Art consists of images and icons, such as soup cans, soft drinks and comic books, which are repeated by changing the colour or texture[x].
Andy Warhol was a Pop Art artist who was born on 6th August 1928 and died on 22nd February 1987. Warhol was a major part of this period, and he was one of the most popular artists who led the movement. His work included performance art, filmmaking and video installations/writing.
‘Campbell’s Soup Cans’ is an example of Andy Warhol’s work from 1962. I am really drawn to how it looks like the soup cans are stacked on supermarket shelves and how realistic they look considering each one is hand painted. The soup could represent how Warhol used to have the same lunch every day for 20 years or symbolise something that you are comfortable with. Furthermore, it could also show that it is easy to get used to a boring routine[xi].
Another Pop Art artist was Roy Lichtenstein who was born on 27th October 1923 and died on 29th September 1997 and is most famous for his bold colours and comic book like images. During the 1960s he became one of the main artists in this movement. One of Lichtenstein’s still life artworks is ‘Still Life with Crystal Bowl’ from 1973. I am intrigued by the comparison between the detail in the bowl and the very simplistic fruit as well as how even though the fruit is not at all realistic it is still clear what they are. In addition to this I like the comparison between the sophisticated bowl and the ‘comic style’ fruit. The bananas could represent a symbol of global trade meaning that everything is available to consumers throughout the year, leading to an unsustainable lifestyle. However, it is unlikely that Lichtenstein chose the fruit for a particular meaning[xii].
Finally, Wayne Thiebaud was another Pop Art artist, born on 15th November 1920 and died on 25th December 2021. Thiebaud became a painter in the 1950s after previously being a graphic designer and cartoonist. Most of his artworks included thick brush marks, everyday subject matter and commercial imagery. Also, he was most well-known for his paintings of cakes, pies and sweets.
In 1962 Thiebaud painted ‘Confections’. I am fascinated by his use of pastel colours that create a relaxed feeling and how realistic the ice creams look, as well as the use of shading and detail. Cherries are often considered the fruit of paradise which links to how ice cream is considered a treat. Another meaning could be that he was encouraging people to remember treats and better times when they’re going through a hard time[xiii].
Overall, the food depicted represented comfort, global trade and reminded people to think of the good times they had during their childhood.
Post-Modernism.
The ‘Postmodernism’ period started in 1970. During this period, the characteristics were art without a center and reworking and mixing past styles. The movements in the postmodern period are: conceptual art, installation art, lowbrow art, performance art, digital art, intermedia and multi-media and telematic art. Some famous artists include Gerhard Richter and Kara Walker[xiv].
Gerhard Richter is a German visual artist who was born on 9th February 1932. Richter is well-known for his abstract, photorealistic paintings, photographs and glass pieces. Richter is also considered an important contemporary German artist.
One of Richter’s still life artworks is ‘Apples’ from 1987. I am inspired by his variety of mediums because he has used graphite for the background and some detail in the apples and watercolour for the colour of the apples. Furthermore, I like how he has blurred the edges of the apples because ‘it makes everything equally important and equally unimportant’ (quote by Richter 1964-65). However, it is likely that there was no particular reason why Richter painted the apples[xv].
Another artist is Kara Walker who was born on 26th November 1969. Kara is an American contemporary painter, silhouettist, print-maker, installation artist and film maker, who is known for incorporating race, gender, sexuality, violence, and identity throughout her work. In addition to this, Kara is well known for her black cut-paper silhouettes[xvi].
One of Kara’s artworks is called ‘Sugar Baby’ which she created in a sugar factory in 2014. I am drawn to the meaning behind this installation because it is highlighting the poor working conditions of people who worked in sugar cane fields, not forgetting that it is a white sugar installation, but it is in the shape of an Egyptian sphinx and depicts an African woman. In this installation the sugar represents the reliance of slaves in the sugar industry[xvii].
Overall, not all food during this period had a meaning behind it, but the sugar can be seen as a symbol of the slaves who work in the sugar industry.
Conclusion.
Overall, it is clear that works of art depicting food aren’t just simple representations of meals and objects. From the Stone Age to Postmodernism, artists have painted food to symbolise wealth, religion and personal experiences. Therefore, the answer to the title of the article is clearly yes.
References:
[i] Stone Age. “DK Find Out,” 2016. https://www.dkfindout.com/uk/history/.
[ii] History for kids. “Egyptian Painting - History for Kids.” History for Kids - Free History Network for Kids, June 21, 2023. https://www.historyforkids.net/egyptian-painting.html.
[iii] “Middle Ages for Kids: Art and Literature,” n.d. https://www.ducksters.com/history/middle_ages_art_literature.php.
[iv] Sister Wendy’s Story of Painting. 1st ed. Beckett, S, 1994.
[v] “History: Impressionism Art for Kids,” n.d. https://www.ducksters.com/history/art/impressionism.php.
[vi] “History: Post-impressionism Art for Kids,” n.d. https://www.ducksters.com/history/art/postimpressionism.php.
[vii] “History: Surrealism Art for Kids,” n.d. https://www.ducksters.com/history/art/surrealism.php.
[viii] René Magritte. “The Son of Man, 1946 by Rene Magritte,” n.d. https://www.renemagritte.org/the-son-of-man.jsp#google_vignette.
[ix] “History: Expressionism Art for Kids,” n.d. https://www.ducksters.com/history/art/expressionism.php.
[x] “History: Pop Art for Kids,” n.d. https://www.ducksters.com/history/art/pop_art.php.
[xi] MoMA. “Andy Warhol,” n.d. https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79809.
[xii] www.wikiart.org. “Still Life With Crystal Bowl, 1973 - Roy Lichtenstein - WikiArt.org,” n.d. https://www.wikiart.org/en/roy-lichtenstein/still-life-with-crystal-bowl-1973.
[xiii] SFMOMA. “Confections · SFMOMA,” May 1, 2026. https://www.sfmoma.org/artwork/2014.343/.
[xiv] Tate. “Postmodernism | Tate,” n.d. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/p/postmodernism.
[xv] Wikipedia contributors. “Gerhard Richter.” Wikipedia, May 10, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerhard_Richter.
[xvi] Tate. “Kara Walker Born 1969 | Tate,” n.d. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/kara-walker-2674.
[xvii] Google Arts & Culture. “Creative Time Presents: Kara Walker’s ‘A Subtlety’ - Google Arts & Culture,” n.d. https://artsandculture.google.com/story/creative-time-presents-kara-walker%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Ca-subtlety%E2%80%9D-creative-time/zQXxxOVsvRwA8A?hl=en.
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