From biblical banquets to Impressionist cafés, discover how food has inspired artists for centuries and what these works reveal about society, culture and everyday life. Food has long played a central role in art, reflecting celebration, wealth, religion, trade and everyday life. This course explores how artists from the Middle Ages to the modern era have depicted meals, markets, feasts and still life, revealing changing attitudes to abundance, hospitality and social status. Works ranging from the Bayeux Tapestry and Dutch still-life painting to Van Gogh and the French Impressionists provide fascinating insights into history as well as artistic practice. Perfect for anyone interested in art history, food culture and the stories hidden within great paintings.
- Explore visual images of food & feasting
- Consider the social history associated with the images
- Practice ways of artistic interpretation the meanings of food from religious/ biblical to world trade implications
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
- Recognise some famous food & feasting paintings
- Analyse for some of the social clues
- Reflect on the possible meanings & interpretations that some art historians have applied to food & feasting images
