Five paintings by famous painters starring ... coffee!
When coffee meets painting, the results are amazing!
Without a doubt, coffee and art always went hand in hand. The bohemian life-style of 19th century artists made them patrons of cafes, often nightclubs and often suspects, but also the necessary artistic fermentations.
Whether we are talking about writers and poets, or painters, every country in Europe and every era has its own "cafe artists", its own artistic associations and its own movements, which were often shaped among (many) cups of coffee. But what evidence from this reality has found its way into art?
The cafe, but also coffee in general, has been a favorite subject of many painters, either as a setting, or as a complement to portraits and still lifes, or even as a protagonist. In this context, we present today five well-known and lesser-known paintings by an equal number of top European painters, from which the aroma of coffee strongly emerges.
Five paintings by famous painters starring ... coffee!
Vincent Van Gogh, Man Drinking Coffee (1882)
The "man drinking coffee" of the Dutchman Vincent Van Gogh is not among his best-known works, but it is interesting. What we don't know is whether the brooding man prepared his coffee using the "Dutch method" popular in the painter's days: the coffee was brewed in room temperature water for many hours, something like today's Cold Brew.
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, The Artist's Mother (1883)
One of the most famous paintings by the much-tortured French painter Toulouse-Lautrec, simply depicts the artist's mother in front of a cup of coffee. The portrait overflows with the sensitivity for which Lautrec became known, among other things, while as coffee lovers, we cannot help but notice the anticipation and impatience with which Mama Lautrec looks at her coffee!
Edgar Degas, Breakfast After Bath (1883)
The Frenchman Edgar Degas has painted several variations of the same theme, which in this painting is presented in a more complete way. A naked, alluring female figure is drying her hair, while next to her a maid has her coffee already ready so she doesn't waste time. Bath and coffee, the best morning awakening, unchanged from the time of Degas to the present day!
Paul Gaugin, Café Night at Arles (1888)
The coffeehouses and their special atmosphere occupied many artists of Paul Gaugin's generation, several of whom were also patrons of such haunts. We can't make out exactly what the enigmatic figure that dominates the French painter's painting is drinking, but the atmosphere of the cafe with its half-light, smoke, billiards and suspicious figures is certainly captivating.
Paul Cezanne, Woman with a Coffee Pot (1895)
Looking at Cezanne's painting, our gaze cannot help but rest on the stern look of the female figure, which dominates the painting. Despite the vivid colors used by the French painter, the effect is harsh, which is also emphasized by the woman's clothing. The coffee is prepared in an old-fashioned Neapolitan-style coffee maker – let's hope it cheers up the lady!
Real art, the one that moves and motivates, often transcends everyday life, without ceasing to be inspired by it. So how could coffee be absent from this inspiration?
