Why Food (And Drink) Is Important in Pop Art
Artist Kerwin Blackburn explores pop art’s unique fascination with food and drink products, and how food and pop art continue to inspire each other today
Pop art burst onto the scene in the 1950s and 1960s, challenging traditional notions of art with its bold colours, playful imagery, and celebration of everyday consumer culture. This vibrant movement, characterised by its embrace of mass media and popular culture, continues to captivate audiences worldwide.
However, amidst the iconic images of comic strips and celebrities lies a recurring motif that adds an extra layer of fascination: food and drink. As a UK artist with their own range of pop art paintings, in this article I’ll explore how and why food and drink played such a fascinating and pivotal role in this ground-breaking movement.
Pop art drew inspiration from food & drink as symbols of consumer culture, portraying them in vibrant, fun and iconic imagery. Pop art’s bold aesthetics continue to influence the food industry via packaging design, food presentation, and themed dining experiences, in a dynamic fusion of art & food.
From Andy Warhol’s iconic Campbell’s Soup Cans to Claes Oldenburg’s colossal food sculptures, pop art’s relationship with gastronomy offers a unique lens through which to understand its enduring impact on contemporary culture. Let’s get started on this bite-sized pop art history lesson!
How Everyday Consumer Items Were Important in Pop Art
Pop art revolutionised the art world by elevating everyday consumer items to the realm of high art. Along supermarket shelves, in consumer goods such as canned food, soda bottles and cleaning products, artists found inspiration in the mundane, transforming ordinary objects into extraordinary works of art.
Other everyday items and imagery such as road signs, national flags and stamps also provided novel stimulus for pop artists who were also deliberately rebelling against traditional abstract or elitist forms of art.
Read my in-depth blog post to learn more about why everyday consumer items were central to the pop art movement, here. First understanding pop art’s origins and motivations will allow you to gain more from this exploration of how food and drink became central motifs in this influential movement.
Why Pop Artists Were Obsessed with Food
Pop art drew inspiration from food and drink as symbols of consumer culture, portraying them in vibrant, fun and iconic imagery. Today, pop art’s bold aesthetics continue to influence the food industry, through packaging design, culinary presentations, and themed dining experiences, showcasing a dynamic fusion of art and gastronomy.
To understand why pop artists fixated on food, we must first delve into the cultural milieu of the 1950s and 1960s. From a food perspective, this period marked a significant departure from the austerity of wartime rationing, as Western societies embraced newfound prosperity and mass consumerism.
With the rise of post-war economic booms and optimism, consumer culture burgeoned, inundating daily life with a barrage of products and advertisements.
Pop artists, keen observers of their time, couldn’t ignore the growing prevalence of food in this cultural landscape. From supermarkets stocked with brightly packaged goods to the proliferation of fast-food chains, food became emblematic of the consumerist ethos. It symbolised not only sustenance but also abundance, convenience, and social status.
The Impact of Technological Advancements
Advancing food storage and preparation technologies – notably the increasing accessibility and ownership of household refrigerators – also facilitated the changing cultural role of food in the post-war era.
Moreover, the act of consuming food became intertwined with notions of identity and belonging. In an increasingly fragmented society, shared cultural experiences often revolved around dining rituals and culinary preferences. As such, food served as a potent symbol of communal bonds and aspirational lifestyles.
For pop artists, this growing importance of food presented a rich tapestry ripe for exploration. Through their art, they critiqued the commodification of everyday life, interrogating the impact of mass production and advertising on societal values. By incorporating food imagery into their works, pop artists not only captured the spirit of their era but also offered incisive commentary on the complexities of modern consumer culture.
Artists Who Used Food and Drink as Inspiration
Pop art’s fascination with food and drink found expression through the works of several influential artists, each offering a unique perspective on these culinary themes.
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol, perhaps the most iconic figure of the pop art movement, famously depicted Campbell’s Soup Cans in his seminal series. Through repetition and vivid colours, Warhol transformed these mundane objects into potent symbols of mass consumption and cultural homogeneity.
His exploration of food extended beyond soup cans to include other consumer goods like Coca-Cola bottles, further emphasising the ubiquity of commercial imagery in daily life.
Claes Oldenburg
Claes Oldenburg, known for his larger-than-life sculptures of everyday objects, created monumental renditions of food items such as hamburgers, BLTs, ice cream cones, and slices of cake. By magnifying these familiar objects to colossal proportions, Oldenburg invited viewers to reconsider the significance, prevalence and perhaps gluttony of fast food.
Oldenburg’s playful approach to food imagery challenged traditional notions of sculpture and blurred the boundaries between art and everyday life.
Wayne Thiebaud
Wayne Thiebaud, on the other hand, captured the essence of American desserts with his delectable paintings of pies, cakes, and pastries. Rendered with meticulous detail and luscious colours, Thiebaud’s confections exude a sense of nostalgia and indulgence. Through his masterful use of light and shadow, Thiebaud imbued these sweet treats with a palpable sense of allure, inviting viewers to savor the sensory experience of his art.
In summary, Warhol, Oldenburg, and Thiebaud each contributed distinct perspectives to the pop art movement’s exploration of food and drink. Their innovative approaches to representation and interpretation continue to resonate with audiences, underscoring the enduring significance of culinary themes in contemporary art.
Famous Pop Art Pieces Featuring Food and Drink
Pop art boasts a plethora of iconic works that prominently feature food and drink, serving as enduring symbols of the movement’s cultural impact.
Andy Warhol’s “Campbell’s Soup Cans” stands as one of the most recognisable images in art history. In this groundbreaking series, Warhol meticulously rendered 32 different varieties of Campbell’s soup cans, each identical in composition yet uniquely adorned with vibrant labels. Through this repetition and mass production, Warhol challenged traditional notions of artistic originality and elevated mundane consumer goods to the status of high art.
Similarly, Warhol’s various depictions of Coca-Cola bottles further exemplify his fascination with mass-produced consumer goods. By capturing the iconic beverage in bold, graphic compositions, Warhol underscored the omnipresence of commercial imagery in American culture while also exploring themes of consumerism and identity.
Let’s not forget his iconic album cover for The Velvet Underground, featuring a sole banana as the subject matter. This is one of pop art’s most famous ever artworks.
Giant Inflatable Food
Claes Oldenburg’s giant food sculptures offer a whimsical take on pop art’s engagement with culinary themes. From his towering ice cream sculptures to inflatable BLT sandwiches and colossal “Floor Cake”, Oldenburg’s oversized renditions of everyday objects provoke a sense of wonder and amusement. By enlarging these familiar items to monumental proportions, Oldenburg challenges viewers to reconsider their relationship with the material world and invites them to explore the boundaries between art and everyday life.
In summary, Warhol’s “Campbell’s Soup Cans” and Coca-Cola bottles, along with Oldenburg’s giant food sculptures, exemplify the enduring influence of food and drink on pop art. Through their innovative approaches to representation and interpretation, these iconic works continue to captivate audiences and spark meaningful dialogue about the intersection of art, culture, and consumption.
The First Ever Work of Pop Art: Eduardo Paolozzi
The very first ever work of pop art – and the piece which actually gave this genre its name due to the inclusion of the onomatopoeia ‘Pop’ – in fact contained a reference to drink, emphasising the movement’s long-standing relationship to food and beverages. “I Was a Rich Man’s Plaything”, created in 1947, featured a Coca-Cola bottle and top, and also cherries.
How Food Inspired Pop Art and Vice Versa
The relationship between food and pop art is inherently reciprocal, with each influencing and inspiring the other in myriad ways.
One notable aspect of this dynamic is the adoption of pop art aesthetics by food advertising, branding, and packaging. Brands have long recognised the visual appeal and cultural distinction of pop art. Since the advent of processed and packaged goods, food packaging has naturally incorporated many key elements of pop art; such as vibrant colours, bold typography, playful imagery and humour, into their marketing strategies.
From bold cereal boxes to sleek soda cans adorned with graphic designs, food packaging often echoes the visual language of pop art, effectively capturing consumers’ attention, and evoking a sense of nostalgia, too.
KitKat in Japan – A Pop-Art-Style Craze
One of my favourite food branding stories is KitKat in Japan. In Japanese, “KitKat” sounds similar to a popular good-luck phrase, “Kitto Katsu”, and has seen the chocolate bar become a national treasure. Nestlé have responded over time by producing over 300 different flavours of KitKat (much more interesting than we get in the West), which each come in different brightly-coloured edition wrappers.
When I lived in Singapore between 2018-19 I enjoyed hunting Japanese supermarkets (such as Don Don Donki) for novelty flavours. When I visited Japan for a few weeks in September 2023 I was very excited to sample many flavours I’d never seen in real life before!
Meanwhile, 2012, Campbell’s released a limited edition range of Andy Warhol-inspired cans of actual tomato soup. I bought a set of four many years later – and long passed the sell-by date!
Pop Art-Inspired Culinary Experiences
Conversely, pop art’s fascination with food has also inspired innovative culinary creations and experiences. ‘2D’ pop art cafes, characterised by their boldly outlined, black-and-white decor and playful menus, offer visitors an immersive dining art experience (and a great Instagram opportunity, too).
Similarly, pastry chefs and bakers have embraced pop art aesthetics, crafting intricately decorated pop art cakes and desserts that pay homage to iconic pop art motifs and stencil outlines.
Food Photography
Furthermore, food photography has provided a canvas perfect for experimentation inspired by pop art. Photographers employ techniques such as bold colours, exaggerated compositions, use of repetition, and playful, almost 2-dimensional styling to create visually striking images that celebrate the sensory allure of food.
Effective pop art-inspired food photography is capable of exciting viewers’ taste buds while paying homage to the movement’s aesthetic principles.
In summary, the relationship between food and pop art is a dynamic interplay of inspiration and innovation, with each informing and enriching the other. Through their mutual influence, food and pop art continue to captivate audiences and inspire creativity across a diverse range of artistic and culinary endeavours.
Pop Art’s Impact on Contemporary Food Culture
Pop art’s widespread influence extends far beyond the field of visual art, permeating contemporary food culture with its vibrant aesthetic and playful spirit.
In today’s digital age, pop art elements are frequently reimagined by food bloggers, chefs, and culinary artists to create visually striking dishes and presentations. From Instagram-worthy plating techniques to whimsically themed pop-up cafes, the influence of pop art is evident in the culinary world’s ongoing quest for innovation and visual appeal.
Pop art-themed restaurants have also emerged as popular destinations for diners seeking immersive dining experiences that celebrate the intersection of food and art. These establishments often feature bold decor inspired by pop art’s iconic imagery, accompanied by menus that pay homage to the movement’s ethos of mass culture and consumerism.
Moreover, food festivals and events frequently incorporate pop art themes and motifs, offering attendees an opportunity to indulge in culinary delights while immersing themselves in a vibrant celebration of art and culture. Whether through interactive art installations, live culinary demonstrations, or themed tastings, these gatherings highlight the enduring relevance of pop art in shaping contemporary food culture.
In summary, pop art’s impact on contemporary food culture is multifaceted and far-reaching, with its influence evident in everything from culinary aesthetics to dining experiences and cultural events.
By embracing the principles of creativity, accessibility, and innovation, pop art continues to inspire and delight audiences around the world, fostering a dynamic dialogue between food and art that transcends boundaries and sparks joy.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the significance of food and drink in pop art cannot be overstated. These culinary motifs served as potent symbols of consumer culture, identity, and societal values, offering artists a rich tapestry of inspiration to explore. From Andy Warhol’s iconic soup cans to Claes Oldenburg’s giant inflatable food sculptures, pop art’s engagement with gastronomy continues to captivate audiences and provoke meaningful discourse.
Furthermore, the enduring influence of pop art on contemporary culture is especially pronounced in its impact on food and drink. From food packaging to culinary aesthetics, pop art’s bold colours, playful imagery, and irreverent spirit continue to permeate modern-day food culture, offering a feast for the senses and a celebration of creativity.
I invite you explore my own collection of ‘By Kerwin’ pop art paintings – not inspired by food, but by the world’s favourite music icons – in my online shop. Prints of my acrylic paintings are available with fast worldwide delivery.
For now, join me in celebrating the enduring legacy of pop art and its deliciously delightful relationship with food and drink.
What is your favourite food or drink-inspired work of pop art? Let me know! Explore my range of music icon pop art paintings and shop prints in my online shop.
Learn more about pop art’s revolutionary use of everyday objects and supermarket inspiration here. Explore the rest of my blog section about pop art here.
My full range of Jackson Pollock-inspired acrylic paintings can be viewed at www.bykerwin.com – the originals and prints of these are available to purchase, with worldwide delivery. You can follow my art progress on Instagram and Facebook.
