By The Landlord
“Just look at this, and now, make up your own minds.” – Jan Steen 1626-1679
“A painting requires a little mystery, some vagueness, and some fantasy. When you always make your meaning perfectly plain you end up boring people ... Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” – Edgar Degas, 1834 – 1917
“I've always wanted to paint my people just the way that they were.” – Archibald Motley 1891-1981
“Great art is the outward expression of an inner life in the artist, and this inner life will result in his personal vision of the world.” – Edward Hopper, 1882-1967
Every picture tells a story, and this week it's time for something a little different. As we're a bar, albeit a virtual and global one, and we continually convene for musical libation, I thought I'd take that idea to combine different artforms, with examples of six great paintings that depict drinking in different contexts, from full-on revelry to solitary sipping.
But this week's topic is not necessarily about drinking or eating or social gathering at all. It is about interpretation of what you see, the stories beyond the faces and the scenes, the mixture of action and emotions occuring, and finding songs and lyrics that may match the scenarios in front of you. There is no need to be an art history expert or be aware of the background or intention of each work, but to simply interpret in your own personal way. You might want to treat it as a lyrical or musical caption competition, on one, or hopefully each of the paintings.
Each of these works emanate from different eras and cultures, but they all depict a mixture of the private thoughts and public spaces, mixing joy and tragedy, stillness and chaos, multiple actions and a whole spectrum of ambiguous feelings and intentions. We have previously covered painting and art as topics, but this topic is about the detail in each of these paintings. They are all available to read about and inspect online on such sites as Wikipedia and WikiCommons, but the idea, however, is to see what you personally see. But let's have a brief closer look at each one in turn ...
Feast in the Interior, Unknown, 17th century
Feast in the Interior, Unknown, 17th century (public domain)
Possibly from the circle of Frans Francken, this richly detailed work has lots going on, perhaps centred around the moment an off-scene child has dropped a plate or made a loud noise, and a scolding mother on the right hand side. There's a beautiful arrangement of several pairs engaged in different interactions, from musicians on the left to two women chatting, two couples engaged or distracted, the angry mother, the blame-pointing boy, and further behind, a dog trying to sleep, a group of conspiratory plotters and a housemaid stoking the fire. How many scenarios and lines can this conjure up in song lyrics?
Beware of Luxury, Jan Steen (c. 1663)
Beware of Luxury, Jan Steen, c. 1663 (public domain)
The Dutch master's highly entertaining satirical depiction of a middle-class Dutch family indulging in excess also has plenty going in this rich scene mixing drunken behaviour, sleeping, childhood naughtiness, a violinist and other instruments at large, a hungry pig and a dog on either side and a duck in the middle, book-poring puritans, mixing realism and symbolism. What is happening and what is the backstory?
L’Absinthe, Edgar Degas 1875/76
Edgar Degas, L’Absinthe, 1875/76 (public domain)
Leaping now to the 19th century, the great French impressionist's work had original title was Dans un Café, and shows a melancholy, disconnected couple, the woman drinking absinthe. In reality, Degas knew the pair - Ellen André was an actress and an artist’s model, and Marcellin Desboutin was an artist and engraver, and after the painting went on public show, many assumed they were alcoholics, but that of course need not be the case. It's a profound and thought-provoking work, filled with beautiful detail. What are they both thinking? What has gone wrong in their lives, or are they simply enjoying some quiet respite? Are they a couple or strangers? How might you imagine this in song form?
A Bar at the Folies-Bergère, Édouard Manet, 1882
A Bar at the Folies-Bergère, Édouard Manet, 1882 (public domain)
Another Parisian scene, and probably the final great work by the French modernist. With striking contrasts, shown in the lively, famous bar, and from an unusual perspective - using a mirror and complex web of viewpoints, our attention is immediately drawn to the tired, melancholy barmaid. Where is her mind in the midst of the hubbub behind? Is she thinking of someone, or is simply lonely and bored? She looks straight ahead with a thousand-yard stare, and behind her, with fabulous spatial depth, are reflected all kinds of details that might also inspire song lyrics. What is the man saying, what about the the opulent selection of champagne and other bottles, the chandeliers, even the legs of a trapeze artist above all the customers? There is a tangible contrast between the lively business of the bar and the face of the barmaid, as our eyes wander across a scene filled with mysteries.
Nighthawks by Edward Hopper, 1942
Nighthawks by Edward Hopper, 1942 (public domain)
A very famous and familiar painting of customers in a classic late-night diner by the American realist, highly influential on other artists, as well as film-makers and musicians, an d much copied parodied, including in The Simpsons, and before that in Gottfried Helnwein's painting Boulevard of Broken Dreams (1984), which replaced the three patrons with American pop culture icons Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe, and James Dean, and the attendant with Elvis Presley. But back to the original, as well as a rich detail of the diner which might colour your song ideas, and perhaps coffee as well as booze, what about the feelings and stories of the figures depicted? Or does the entire scene, perceived from outside on the street , say something about the artist’s emotions? There may be direct song references to this painting, but more open, imaginative ones are more than encouraged.
Nightlife by Archibald Motley, 1943
Nightlife by Archibald Motley, 1943 (public domain)
And finally, from a year later, another, even more vibrant scene, a wonderful swirl drinking and dancing, one of many by the New Orleans-born visual artist of the Harlem Renaissance and Jazz Age Modernism, known for his vibrant, realistic, and highly celebrated portrayals of African-American life. Filled with movement and energy, what phrases or music comes to the surface when immersing yourself in this painting? What is the woman in the green dress thinking, as well as her friend? Does she know the man reaching out to the woman dancing with a different man, who in turn is looking back at him? What about the solitary man sitting down on the right side? And what might the couple in the foreground be talking about? As with this and all the rest, it's all down to your interpretation to turn this into a song suggestion.
So then, with this richly and stimulating visual libation, it's time to drink in these images and see what comes out in lyrical or genre form. Hopefully there we will ending up with mix of songs inspired by each of the six paintings across a rich and vivid palette of musical genres. But who will be this week's artful musical curator? Let's see. As usual, nominations deadline is 11pm UK time on Monday, for playlists published next week. The canvas is yours …
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