Famous paintings of meals in art history | The Last Supper | Paintings by Norman Rockwell, Leonardo Da Vinci, Picasso and others

Famous paintings of meals in art history
Freedom From Want by Norman Rockwell.	With Thanksgiving coming up soon, many people are thinking about and planning their big Thanksgiving dinner. When Artsology thinks about Thanksgiving in relation to art, one of the first paintings that comes to mind is "Freedom from Want" by Norman Rockwell, pictured at left. This painting was one of four that Rockwell made as part of his "Four Freedoms" series, which was inspired by a speech by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This painting shows a very happy family settling in for a turkey dinner, and the cheerful mood and bountiful meal before them shows directly that they are not "wanting" for anything, and therefore have "Freedom from want." What we find interesting about this painting is that Rockwell composed it in a way to make the viewer feel as if they were included in this moment, made so especially by the fact that the man at the bottom right is looking up, making eye contact with whomever might be standing in this room with this vantage point. With this technique, Rockwell is bringing the viewer in to make them feel as if they included in this freedom from want. Let's take a look at some other famous paintings that depict meals, starting with one of the most well-known images ever made, The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci.
The Last Supper, by Leonardo da Vinci This painting is actually a huge mural, approximately 15 x 29 feet, painted directly on the wall at the Convent of Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. It took Leonardo three years to make this mural! Let's take a look at a few more paintings, on the left below we have Luncheon of the Boating Party painted by Pierre-Auguste Renoir in 1880-81, and on the right we have The Blindman's Meal, painted by Pablo Picasso in 1903. These two paintings show drastically different scenes, with Renoir capturing a bountiful and cheerful meal, with a group of friends enjoying fine foods and wines, while Picasso's painting from his "Blue Period" captures a lonely blind man sitting with his sparse meal of bread and water.

Luncheon of the Boating Party, by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Luncheon of the Boating Party, 1880-81, by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

The Blind Man's Meal, 1903, by Pablo Picasso

Now let's take a look at some early modern photography, capturing actual diners having their meals in two different locations. On the left we have Charles C. Ebbet's photograph of construction workers during the building of Rockefeller Center in New York, taking their lunch break out on a steel beam. It's an amazing moment captured on film, to think that these guys could be so casually enjoying their lunch, chatting with each other, reading the newspaper, and relaxing in such a death-defying location! On the right we have Henri Cartier-Bresson's photograph titled On the Banks of the Marne from 1938. This is a much more conventional dining experience, two French couples having a picnic near the river.

Lunch break on a skyscraper, 1932, photograph by Charles C. Ebbets	On the Banks of the Marne, 1938, by Henri Cartier-Bresson
Artsology hopes that you all have a great Thanksgiving, including a sumptous meal ... maybe you can make a picture or take a photograph of your meal and send it to Artsology to post on the site!
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