The Art of Advent: Day 14
It’s the end of the second week of advent and today we have a special article by Ilaria Bevan. She writes about her top ten festive images under the theme ‘Families and Feasting’ which are two of the most essential parts of the festive period, don’t you agree? She highlights some of the most heartwarming works of art that fit into this theme so sit comfortably with a warm cup of tea or coffee and check out Ilaria’s amazing piece.
No. 1 Giovanni Bellini, The Feast of the Gods, 1514
Bellini’s presentation of a scene from Ovid’s Fasti is a masterpiece of Veneitan artistic prowess. Use of brilliant colours, particularly the bright blues and reds help to construct this moment of revelry between gods, nymphs and satyrs. This merry visualisation of eating and drinking in a pastoral setting is a perfect example of Bacchanalian festivities. Within the crowd of vibrantly dressed figures, on the far right, is the lustful Priapus who subtly, and cunningly, lifts the skirt of a sleeping nymph, Lotis. This provocative misadventure certainly adds to the mischief ever present in these carnivalesque gatherings.
No. 2 Jan Steen, The Dissolute Household, 1663-4
Dutch painter Jan Steen is a master of humorous, moralistic paintings such as The Dissolute Household. Often making himself the victim of his own witticism, Steen has placed his own self-portrait at the centre of the chaos. He intertwined his fingers with an older maid, who is simultaneously pouring his wife another glass of wine. Amidst this act of seduction, broken glass, a cunning cat about to pounce on the half eaten meat and rowdy boys can be seen. However, a sinister tone signifying misfortune hangs over the picture’s madness due to the presence of the beggar’s crutch and clappers that warn one of plague. Despite these ominous symbols, Steen has presented a scene that might well resemble a drunken dinner party over the holidays.
No. 3 Thomas Rowlandson, The Tables Turned, c. late 1790s
Part of a pair of caricatures that depicts contrasting marriages, The Tables Turned is certainly the more alarming of the duo. Its alternative title Miseries of Wedlock, naturally, illustrates a couple fighting over the dinner table. The passionate screams and violent gestures of the wife pulling her husband’s ears as he anticipates the moment to bash her head with his drinking glass demonstrate how the dinner table has the power to bring out a family’s ugly side. Their fury has knocked the meal off the table, topped their baby from its stool, triggered the dog’s vicious barking and terrified their young son. This is truly a scene one hopes will not be recreated at their Christmas Day feast…
No. 4 Gustave Courbet, After Dinner Ornans, 1848
Painted in the winter of 1848, Courbet’s dimly lit interior presents four figures; three of whom are seated at the dinner table after their meal watching the fourth figure entertain his companions with his violin. This is one of Courbet’s earliest realist pictures that depicts observations of provincial life, which contrasts greatly with other grand academic paintings that were being made at this time in Paris . The figures, all life-sized, are dressed in plain clothing and appear aware of each other and immersed in the music, they are also engaged in their own consciousness. Although this scene appears rather gloomy, it is certainly a captivating, and accomplished picture of four friends enjoying one another’s company.
No. 5 Robert Braithwaite Martineau, The Christmas Hamper, mid-1800s
Matineau’s colourful interior captures the excitement of Christmas cheer. In the centre of the drawing room stands a young man proudly producing a white pheasant to his family who crowd around him to take a closer look at such a magnificent bird. Presumably this bird will soon become the family’s Christmas lunch. The striking contrasts of green and red seen in the room’s decoration, the objects within the space and the costumes of the figures further emphasise that Christmas spirit.
N.o. 6 Eastman Johnson, Christmas Time the Blodgett Family, 1864
This conversation piece depicts the Blogett family in their drawing room engaged with one another. In the background, Mrs Blogett rests in a scarlet chair and to her left stands her husband who looms over their three young children. Depicted during the American Civil War, the family have nevertheless decorated their home for the holidays with a fir tree, a lit fire burning behind Mr Blogett, as well as a red and green fringed tablecloth. On the table a toy of a black male dancer that the young boy is playing with can be seen - perhaps a hint towards the racial struggles at that time.
No. 7 Vincent van Gogh, The Potato Eaters, 1885
One of Van Gogh’s gloomiest pictures, The Potato Eaters, conveys the harsh reality of rural life and the struggles of the working class. In this dingy interior Van Gogh has presented five peasants sitting around a wooden table eating potatoes that they may have grown in their fields. One can see the effects of their hard work through the figures’ bony faces and coarse hands. The use of an earthy palette is reminiscent of a dusty potato and further evokes that sense of grubbiness and struggle that these figures would have endured.
No. 8 Norman Rockwell, Freedom From Want, 1943
Alternatively known as “I’ll be Home for Christmas”, this picture is third in a series of four paintings that comprise Rockwell’s Four Freedom series. The detailed portraits of each figure within the composition were copied from individual photographs of Rockwell’s friends and family, which adds a greater sense of realism. These figures are then reimagined around a festive table decorated with a white tablecloth, silverware and various condiments. Rockwell has depicted an all-too-familiar moment of excitement when the Christmas turkey is laid on the table - an act that signifies the beginning of the feast.
No. 9 Michael Ayrton, Still Life at Christmas, 1953-4
Ayrton’s still life of typical Christmas food items is a vibrant, mouth-watering scene. The high vantage point is reminiscent of 17th century Dutch Still Life paintings and allows the spectator to fully survey this table in all its glory. On the table one can see a rather large ham and a persimmon resting on a silver platter, a sharp knife, a large deep green vegetable. The brilliant orange backdrop and the light shining on it from the window opposite the table adds a sacramental tone to this spectacular feast.
No. 10 Judy Chicago, The Dinner Party, 1979
The pièce de résistance in the history of feast-themed artworks is undoubtedly Chicago’s The Dinner Party. This massive installation piece, now permanently displayed at the Elizabeth A. Sackler Centre, is an icon of 1970s feminism and a symbol for women in history. At the table, there are thirty-nine uniquely decorated place settings for thirty-nine distinguished guests, all of whom are famous females from different periods in time. On the guest list one can find inspirational women including Virginia Woolf, Georgia O’Keefe and Sacajawea, to name a few. Without a doubt, this is the dinner party that would certainly rival any holiday feast in history.