Alcohol in Art (Paintings) From Ancient Times to Today

Even the earliest humans made and enjoyed art. And early humans also enjoyed drinking alcohol. For example, anthropologists find evidence that humans have made alcoholic beverages for at least twelve thousand years. Thus, alcohol in art has a long history.

Overview

I. Ancient Period

II. Christian Period

III. Dawn of Modern Era

IV. The 21st Century

V. Conclusion

VI. Resources

I. Alcohol in Art: Ancient Period

The ancient Egyptians often painted images of beer and wine production and drinking. And their images show great detail. That permits us to understand much about their alcohol culture.

On the other hand, ancient Greek painters almost always linked it with religion or mythology. Commonly they portrayed the god of wine, Bacchus. And they often showed him as drunk.

During the Roman Empire, artists sometimes portrayed banquets and orgies. They also included, in some cases, intoxicated people.

II. Christian Period

For the most part, Christian art focused on religious themes. Of course, wine is in paintings of the last supper. But wine is in other paintings as well.

- Belshazzar’s Feast by Rembrandt
  Belshazzar’s Feast by Rembrandt, Martin, Allston and others.
- The Marriage at Cana by Bonvicino Murillo, Tintoretto, Veronese, and others.
- Feast in the House of Levi by Veronese and others.
- Drunkenness of Noah by Michelangelo, Benozzo, Gozzolio and others.
- Lot Intoxicated by His Daughters by Velasquez, Guercino, Veronese, Giordano and others.

Christians also painted Bacchanalian themes.

- Bacchanal by Titian, Bellini, Ricci, Poussin and others..
- The Drunken Silenus by Rubens, Van Dyck, and others.
- Bacchus by Guido, van Dalen, Millot and others

Impact of the Renaissance

In many early paintings, alcohol is not easy to notice. But the Renaissance profoundly changed society. Overall it lasted roughly from the 14th to the 17th centuries. During it, there was less concern with religion and the afterlife. Interest in the world increased. So simple scenes depicting everyday life of everyday people became common.

During the 17th century this trend markedly increased. At that time, painters clearly became less interested in conveying religious values. Instead, they wanted to portray the world around them. And also to express themselves.

Painters of the Dutch school often presented scenes of drinking. For instance, Jan Steen was a Dutch painter of the 17th century.

The titles of Steen’s works suggest the everyday nature of their subject matter. They include “Party of Peasants,” “Peasants before an Inn,” and “Children Teaching a Cat to Dance.” He also painted “Dancing Peasants” and “The Doctor and His Patient.” And there were many, many more.

Others Joined

But other genres joined the the Dutch. These included the Spanish, French and English schools.

An example is Diego Velasquez of the Spanish school. His Los Borrachos (The Drunks) is of an ordinary event. But it portrays Bacchus in a stylized manner. It’s not the earthy subject matter of Steen.

Velasquez shows less drinking in his other paintings. Many are of simple, everyday scenes of ordinary people. But many are portraits of nobility, for which he is justly famous.

Another example is Murillo, also a member of the Spanish school. As with Velasquez, Murillo used ordinary subject matter in “Youth Drinking.”

Nicholas Poussin created one of the best known alcoholic beverage painting within the French school. It’s his “Bacchanalian Revel.” On the other hand, Watteau provides realism in his “The Bivouac.” It’s an ordinary temporary camp in the woods.

III. Dawn of the Modern Era

William Hogarth was a member of the English school in the 18th century. No discussion of alcohol in art would be complete without mentioning his famous “Beer Street and Gin Lane” engravings. But our focus here is on paintings.

The four paintings in Hogarth’s “The Humours of an Election” series all provide drinking scenes. “Canvassing for Votes” was one in the series. Drinking also appears in his series, “Marriage a la Mode.”

David Wilkie

Scottish painter David Wilkie was active during the 19th century. His “The Village Holiday” portrays intoxicated men with sympathy. Their intoxication is a sign of understandable human frailty.

During the same period, Englishman George Cruikshank completed his “The Worship of Bacchus.” And George Moreland painted his “Alehouse Politicians.”

Robert Braithwaite Martineau painted in the mid-19th century. His fascinating “The Last Day in the Old Home” portrays a story. Yet it actually suggests a number of interrelated stories. The scene draws the viewer in and invites speculation. Was the problem alcohol? Or was it really gambling. And the clues are all there, as in any good detective story.

Manet

Over time alcohol in art appeared more often in paintings. An example is Edouard Manet’s “A Bar at the Folies-Bergere.”

Another is his “Le Bon Bock” (The Good Beer). It’s simply the image of a pipe-smoker with a beer in his hand. Its direct, unemotional and unromantic simplicity anticipates the future of painting. But, of course, history doesn’t move consistently. Nor predictably. Nor even in the same artist.

Picasso

Pablo Picasso painted many pictures of drinking. Absinthe had become popular in the early 20th century. People called it the “Green Fairy.” They did so because they thought it caused hallucinations. And Picasso painted many pictures titled the Absinthe Drinker. So it’s necessary to distinguish one from another. However, “The Absinthe Drinker” (Portrait of Angel Fernandez de Soto), shown here, is a typical example.

During the 20th century Picasso was probably the most influential artist. He was also highly productive and did about 13,500 paintings. In addition, he was very versatile. Not only did he paint. He also drew, sculpted, made prints, created ceramics, and designed both costumes and stage sets.

IV. The 21st Century

Julia Jacquette is a 21st century artist. Her “Scotch, Rocks 1” painting is a photorealistic work. But it’s also an abstract image of Scotch on the rocks. Thus, it combines traditional realism with contemporary abstractionism.*

So the unfolding story of alcohol in paintings during the 21st century will be an exciting one.

V. Alcohol in Art: Conclusion

Over time the role and treatment of alcohol in art has changed greatly. Painters have connected it with mythology, religion, and human emotion. They have both praised and reviled it. And they have portrayed it as a source of both pleasure and misery.

Alcohol and art has served as a continuing Rorschach Inkblot Test. Artists draw from it what they perceive. In turn, that is largely a reflection of their personal experience and culture. So alcohol in art is both psychological and cultural. Of course, the same is true of the observer.

In fact, alcohol is inherently a neutral substance. Thus it’s how we use it that determines whether it’s good or bad.