Page 72 - Erasmus+ : Food on Europe's Tables

67 Evaluation of the Results

Modernity

Modern art focuses on the interpretation of reality and questions the value
of traditional means of design. In addition, it is very important to extend the
boundaries of the conventional conception of the world and of man and to
depict it. The most important means of expression are abstraction, expres-
sion and surreal alienation. What they have in common is a focus that is not
based on nature, which is expressed both in the choice of motif and in the
colours, interior design and proportions.

Also in this epoch, eating and drinking was a theme that came up again and
again. Well-known artists of this epoch were Pierre-Auguste Renoir and
Claude Monet.

Claude Monet

Claude Monet also was very famous
1
at this time and lived from 1840 to 1926.
His works were often nature-focused,
but he also depicted food and drink in
his paintings. In his paintings, too, the
process of eating seems rather noble and
important. To sum up, it can be said that
in comparison to still life, eating is no
longer the focus of attention and is often
combined with drawing people, whereas
in still life, food was often painted alone
and in the centre of attention. 1 Claude Monet:
© public domain.

erasmus_final_pages.indd 71 18.09.19 17:24