It could be that Thanksgiving is around the corner, or simply the overall fascination with pictures of food – but realism artist, Tjalf Sparnaay has us dreaming about burgers more deluxe than those you’ll find browsing Instagram’s #foodporn.
Opening tonight at Bernarducci Meisel is Sparnaay’s first solo exhibition with the gallery, which will feature his recent works. For the most part, the Upper East Side gallery showcases established realism and hyperrealism works – paintings, sculptures, and drawings. Sparnaay’s oeuvre is clearly no exception.
Full of imaginary saturated fats and carbohydrates, these highly detailed paintings “are intended to enable the viewer to experience reality once again, to rediscover the essence of the object that has become so common. I wish to reduce it to the DNA of the universal structure in all its beauty. I call it ‘the beauty of the everyday,” says the artist. By magnifying these everyday “objects”, aka items you would find on a Midtown diner menu, Sparnaay has redefined the term realism, and technically making his work “mega-realism”.
The Dutch artist has painted many subjects other than popular American cuisine; his new collection brags a giant oil on linen of his native Dutch tulips. However, since most of this new series consists of classic fast foods, we are going to take a wild guess that the artist is no stranger to high cholesterol.
Fruit Salad (50 Calories, 20 extra for the whipped cream)
Fried Egg A (110 Calories, but it’d be even better with bacon and cheese)
BLT Sandwich (according to Arby’s, their Ultimate BLT will run you 780 Cals)
Big Burger (a double ‘Standard BareBurger’ averages out at 1050 Cals)
Donuts (1 Krispy Kreme is about 200, but times 3 – 600 Calories)
Dutch Tulips (um, possibly edible but we don’t recommend it)
Sparnaay’s New Paintings will be on view at Bernarducci Meisel until December 19th.
All images courtesy of the gallery.
Like this article? Check out our video on Henry Hargreaves, a photographer who loves to play with his food, as well as other original artist videos.
