COMPREHENSIVE INSTITUTE "G. MARITI “ MIDDLE SCHOOL FAUGLIA (Pisa) - Italy Pupils of
CLASSES 3 D - E
A tour through grapes, grape harvest and wine in the history of art
teachers involved
Teresa De Vito English Language teacher Lorenza Biasci Art teacher
The wine has just been poured as can be deduced by the bubbles in the jug, located at the lower left corner of the painting, while Bacco holds the cup unsteadily as shown by its vibrations. The young man's head is adorned with bunches of grapes that are also found in the fruit basket .
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Bacchus, 1596 - 1597, oil on canvas, cm. 95x85, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
In the Western world, the wine had an important role in art, particulary with regards to painting, through which good wine becomes immortal. Many artists have represented in their paintings the wine and grape, One of the most represented theme is the grape harvest.
In the fifth Egyptian dynasty civilization (2500 b.c), grapes harvest scenes are represented with some frequency . From these figures can be seen that the predominant type of crop is the “pergola� (bower). The clusters are nearly always represented in dark blue or purple , this suggests that the black grapes were popular. The grapes were harvested in baskets which were emptied in large basins , where five or six people tread grapes, clinging to a support.
Excavations carried out in the territory of Pompei found a number of agricultural farms dedicated mainly to the production of wine, the famous “Pompeianum�.
Amorini vendemmianti. Wall painting of Villa Narcissus Popidius Maioris, 79 AD Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples.
Some thumbnails of the fifteenth century depict the work of the harvesters and the richness of the Autumn colours as in the work of the Limbourg brothers belonging to Franco-Flemish school.
Fratelli Limbourg, Harvest before the Castle of Saumur, miniature, CondĂŠ Museum in Chantilly.
This fresco of the Castle of Good Counsel of Trent, dating back to 15th century, describes the grape harvest made only with wooden tools.
In this 15th century fresco in Palazzo Schifanoia di Ferrara, Cosmè Tura, Ercole de Roberti and Francesco del Cossa ( 1450), painted the pruning of the vines which is carried out in March.
In the nineteenth century were painted several canvasses portraiting the grape harvest. In this picture by ClĂŠment Boulanger titled “Harvest of Medoc,â€? 1815, the busket is equipped with wooden poles, which are placed on the shoulders of two men. Porters pass in rows, collecting the grapes cut by harvesters and they pour their load into the tuns, which are started towards the press.
This work by F.Goya is one of four paintings on the theme of the seasons. You can recognize the best society of Madrid during the grape harvesting.
Francisco Goya, the harvest, 1786, Museo del Prado, Madrid.
The watercolour by Bartolomeo Pinelli, 1830: "The harvesters carry the grapes to the wine press" describes the work of the Roman people.
In this grape harvest scene, lively characters are like caricatures, there is a strong colors contrast.
Angelo Inganni, the harvest, 1807-1880, Pinacoteca di Tosio Martinengo, Brescia.
Grape Harvest Scenes in Tuscany made by contemporary painters
Drinker of wine
In the 17th century, the first warnings against the effects of wine, associated with drunkenness started to be common knowledge.
Van Honthorst Gerrit, Cheerful violinist with a glass of wine
Van Bijlart Jon Young man drinking a glass of wine
Gabriel Metzu, the ambiguous drinker 1658, oil on canvas
This canvas represents a moment of seduction: a woman, well dressed in a red silk dress, looks at the spectator while smiling, she is going to drink a glass of wine that is offered by the man at her side.
Jean Vermeer, Two gentlemen and a young girl with a glass of wine, 16591660, oil on canvas, Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum, Braunschweig
In the 19th century as in other periods of art history there are lots of representations related to wine culture.
Paul Cezanne, the drinker, 1890
In the picture “Cards Players” by Paul Cézanne (1890-1895) a bottle of wine is on the table on which two men are playng cards.
Pierre Auguste Renoir in his Lunch of rowers (1880-1882) table laid with wine bottles and basket full of grapes.
Eduard Munch reproduces his selfportrait; he is sitting near the table of a restaurant. On the table there is a bottle and a cup with white wine . His look is sad and thoughtful.
Amedeo Modigliani, regular visitor of Parisian cafes, portrays here a man who is drinking (1918). His face is long and narrow , typical of his style . The glasses and the bottle , almost empty, reveal the man’ s drunkenness.
Fernando Botero (1988) paints his unmistakable personalities ; they sit while are playing cards. On the table ,laid out in green , some cards of the players and a bottle of wine with a glass.
The bunch in still life
Michelangelo Merisi by Caravaggio, Basket of fruit (1596 ca.) oil on canvas, cm. 46 x 64,5 , Milan, ambrosian Pinacotheca
Giuseppe Arcimboldo The autumn , 1573
Pietro Paolini (1603-1682), bunches of grapes and pomegranates
Francesco Malagoli, still life with watermelon and grapes ,1776
Claude Oscar Monet , still life with pears and grapes, 1880
Vincen Van Gogh , still life with grapes , 1887
Pablo Picasso places on the table a bottle of wine , grapes in a fruit bowl , music scores and a guitar. The objects are simplified and distorted in both form and colour which is spread with uniform patches.
Juan Gris , Pears and grapes on the table, 1913
In this painting the author uses a square composition tecnique; a man sitting at the table, drinks several glasses of wine
Umberto Boccioni, the “pergola� in Naples, 1914, oil and collage on canvas, cm. 83x83 Modern art gallery, Milan
Giorgio De Chirico, still life with grapes and peppers (1923 - 1924),oil on canvas , cm. 60X79, Modern art gallery, Firenze
Roy Fox Lichtenstein, still life with crystal bowl, 1973 – oli on canvas, cm 132,1 x 106,7
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