So Steam Crow recently put up an entire body of artwork inspired by food at SideBar. And, this Friday, Five15 Gallery opens "Show Us Your Cans" -- a group show by the collective's members that doubles as a canned food drive (click here for details).
Since food and art seem to be going hand-in-hand these days, we thought a little top five list of the best examples of food-inspired art throughout art history was in order.
Hope you brought your appetite.
5. Guiseppe Arcimbaldo, 16th century, Italian
Peter Gabriel totally ripped off Arcimbaldo when he made his"Sledgehammer" video back in the '80s (see it at 2:26). This painter was way ahead of his time and eventually was a major influence on the surrealists when they were looking for alt-style art. During his time, he enjoyed a wildly successful career. Not too shabby for a bunch of vegetables, eh? Click here to see more of his work.
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4. The Giant BLT by Claes Oldenburg, 1963
Now, this piece of work may be more about making this curator look like a total moron (there's something about artists who inadvertently ridicule the stuffy art world that I absolutely adore -- careful with that giant piece of bacon, lady, it's worth more than your life!). Anyway, if you want to get analytical, this is clearly all about object, scale, and interaction with audience . . . or maybe it's just a big, giant prank.
3. Pepper by Edward Weston, 1930
Everyone knows that Weston was a big, old man-whore. Which is probably why every art historian has charged this image with so much sexuality. Sure, it's curvy and smooth but, come on, a bell pepper is a turn-on? Art historians are such pervs.
2. Buy My Apples, late 19th century
So back in the 19th century when photography was really hitting the mainstream, guess what people wanted to see? Why, porno, of course! This surviving photo shows the type of image that made men of that era all hot and bothered. A naked lady holding fruit. Okay, so it doesn't take a genius to guess what the fruit represents. And, of course, we must link to an example of its lasting influence.
1. Campbell's Soup Can by Andy Warhol, 1962
Right? I mean, what else could be our number one? This soup is probably the most famous food item throughout art history. It's like the Mona Lisa of food.
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