Contemporary Vanitas

While contemplating this series I happened upon a book on Dutch Still Life. Still Life painting rose to new popularity in the 17th century during the Protestant Reformation in which images of religious subjects were forbidden. Amsterdam became the largest trading port in the world which brought an abundance of goods available in the Dutch markets. Vanitas, a sub-genre of the Still Life, refers to the Latin word for emptiness. It was a reaction to Roman Catholicism and met the new austere aesthetics of Protestant Reformation Art in Northern Europe. Vanitas Still Life was the only religious art approved of in Holland. These paintings reminded the viewer not to get too lost in enjoying oneself with wealth and gluttony but rather to focus more on the spiritual aspects of life. Fast food is a perfect symbol of gluttony, excess and a lost connection to real food or at the very least, where it comes from.