During the 16th and 17th centuries, Northern European painters elevated food to a primary subject through the still life genre. Artists like Joachim Beuckelaer and Clara Peeters painted bustling kitchen scenes and tables groaning under the weight of imported cheeses, exotic fruits, and freshly hunted game. While these paintings showcased the artist’s ability to render complex textures, they also functioned as moral reminders, using rotting fruit or overturned vessels to warn viewers about the fleeting nature of earthly pleasures.
Philippe Pigouchet ”Heures a l’usage de Rome” 1487
Vincent van Gogh ”The Potato Eaters” 1885
”Rice Culture or Sowing and Reaping” 1350
Vincent van Gogh ”Still Life with a Plate of Onions” 1889
Roy Lichtenstein: “Still Life With Scalloped Bowl” 1972
Paul Gaugin ”Still Life with Teapot and Fruit” 1896
Paul Cezanne ”La Table de Cuisine” 1890
Paul Gauguin ”Le Repas” 1891
Pieter Aertsen ”A Woman at the Vegetable Market” 1567
Marten van Cleve ”Kitchen Interior” 1565
William Scott ”Bowl of Eggs and Lemons” 1950
Paul Cézanne ”Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses” 1895