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Feasting in Art
Food is a rich theme in the visual arts. Based on collections at the Ackland Museum, students developed a virtual gallery about "The Feast", choosing works to study and interpret.

Frankly Absurd: Satirized American Idealism in Hot Dog Bridge
"Hot Dog Bridge" by Russell T. Gordon, 1974


To Kill a Persimmon
"To Kill a Persimmon", print by Jane O'Neal


The Fiesta of Santa Anita
"The Fiesta of Santa Anita" by Diego Rivera, 1926


Dance in a Garden
"Dance in a Garden" by Nicolas Lancret, 1690-1743.


Belshazzar's Big Night
"Belshazzar's Feast" by Charles Joseph Travies de Villers, 1834


Staging Japanese Men
"Men Eating" - tinted albumin print by Felice Beato

Bridging the Gap
"Hot Dog Bridge" by Russell T. Gordon, 1974


Memento Mori: Death and Feasting in Still Life with Hunting Trophies
"Still Life with Hunting Trophies" by Jan Weenix, 1680s-1690s


What is Wine?
"Wine is a Mocker" by Hendrik Bary, 1670

Virgo – Unmatched Enjoyment
"Virgo-Unmatched Enjoyment" by George Cruikshank, 1792-1878

Suite of Six Knots of Ribbon Adorned with Flowers
"Suite of Six Knots of Ribbon Adorned with Flower" by Louis-Charles Gautier-Dagoty, 1746-1787


Stop Horsin’ Around on the Meat Taboo
"Scene of a Horsemeat Diner" by Daumier, 1857


Hungry for Power
"A Lord Mayor's Day Nightmare" by Charles Motte, 1930


Hierarchy and Hippophagy
"Horsemeat for Dinner" by Honoré Daumier, 1857


Still Life With Hunting Trophies: Understanding It in a Modern Context
"Still Life with Hunting Trophies" by Jan Weenix, 1680s-1690s

Backyard BBQ Staple Turned Art
"Hot Dog Bridge" by Russell T. Gordon, 1974


Snapshots of Change in American Food Identity and the American Dream
"Muscle Beach" by Max Yavno, 1981-1982 and "Meal Time, Tenement, New York City" by Lewis Hine, 1910


La Última Cena: Horrifying Holiness
"La Ultima Cena" by Paul René Azcuy Cárdenas, 1976


Gluttony and the Lord Mayor’s Day Feast
"A Lord Mayor's Day Night Mare" by Charles Motte, 1830.


A Narrative on the Anti-Feast
"Eve and the Serpent" by Rose Piper, 1988 or earlier, and "Wine is a Mocker" by Hendrik Bary, 1670.


Dominance and Art in the Dutch Golden Age
"Still Life with Hunting Trophies" by Jan Weenix, 1680s-1690s

Beyond the Bun: Discovering Absurdity in the Mundane
"Hot Dog Bridge" by Russell T. Gordon, 1974

A Good Cup of Tea (When the Duty is Taken Off)
"A Good Cup of Tea (When the Duty is Taken Off)" by George Cruikshank, 1792-1878


Yearning
"Dinner on the Grounds of the Corinth Baptist Church" by Minnie Smith Reinhardt, 1985


The Virtues of Simplicity
"Labor and Diligence Enjoy their Simple Meal" by Maerten van Heemskerck, 1572.


The Most Famous Triumph of Bacchus
"The Most Famous Triumph of Bacchus" by unidentified artist, 1594


The Feast as a Form of Worship
"Dinner on the Grounds of the Corinth Baptist Church" by Minnie Smith Reinhardt, 1898-1986


Silenus and Bacchus on a Donkey with a Satyr
"Silenus and Bacchus on a Donkey with a Satyr", unknown artist, late 19th century CE

The Hot Dog as a Self-Contained Feast in Hot Dog Bridge
"Hot Dog Bridge" by Russell T. Gordon, 1974


Bacchanal
"Bacchanal" by Enea Vico, 1540


Escapism: Dream or Reality?
"Dance in a Garden" by Lancret, 1690-1743 and "Rwandan Refugee Camp with Mother and Child" by Salgado, 1944


Reine de Joie
"Reine by Joie" by Henri de Toulouse Lautrec, 1892


Savage Supper
"Supper Party" by Martin Shortis, 1959


Mamie Neugent's 81st(?) Birthday with Family
"Mamie Neugent's 81st(?) Birthday with Family" by David M.Spear, 1989

Finding Community in the Common
"Hot Dog Bridge" by Russell T. Gordon, 1974


Jupiter's Return as the Sun King
"The Nurture of Jupiter" by Nicolas Chaperon, 1640s
Images courtesy of the Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill www.ackland.org
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