Wine has always been present in human life and one way to demonstrate this is through art.

Cinema, literature, theatre, painting… are all part of the representation, in one way or another, of wine. In this article we will focus on one of these artistic areas. In the various museums around the world there are numerous paintings in which this drink appears and, in many others, where the Wine is the protagonist.

Below we will see a selection of 5 famous paintings with wine.

The Triumph of Bacchus or The Drunkards, by Diego Velázquez (1628-1629, Museo del Prado)

This is one of the most recognized works of the Spanish painter for the way in which he represented mythology, mixing it, for the first time, with costumbrista scenes. In the painting we find mythological characters and everyday, realistic characters from day to day life. In the center of the painting, and with the light pointing directly at him, we can see Bacchus, the god of wine. At his feet we see a jug in which the drink is probably found, and in the hands of one of the "drunkards" a glass full of wine. Other elements related to the world of wine are the barrel on which the figure of the god is sitting, or the vine that he wears on his head.

The Card Players by Paul Cézanne (1890-1892, Musée d'Orsay).

This work also falls into the category of famous paintings with wine, because we find ourselves in an everyday scene where One of the protagonists is a bottle of wine. Cézanne showed us, through his classic post-impressionist style, the everyday nature of a card game, where our attention is focused on the two players and the bottle of wine between them. In fact, the container occupies the centre of the composition and is responsible for providing information about the light, which is reflected there. Unlike what happens in other paintings, the rest of the composition loses prominence and what, in this case, matters to us are the two players and the wine.

Joan Miró's bottle of wine (1924, Joan Miró Foundation)

In this work by the Catalan artist, wine is the main character. The painting shows us a series of elements that are unrelated, as we have a bottle of wine with a volcano, a bee and a snake sporting a moustache. This work demonstrates the value that wines have for their creations. surrealist artists gave to the subconscious. Miró enjoyed this drink with his contemporaries, discussing and sharing opinions on the movements that were emerging at that time, such as surrealism. He combines two of his favorite things; the pleasure of tasting good wines and the most purely surrealist creation.

The Tea Party by Francisco de Goya (1776, Prado Museum)

Once again we find ourselves in a costumbrista scene, this time depicting a picnic in the countryside. In this painting we see several characters, all of them young in appearance, enjoying a snack in a meadow where, in the background, we can see the banks of the Manzanares River. These boys are eating, as we know from the painted elements such as cheeses, loaves or casseroles, and drinking. Goya added several bottles of wine to the work, as well as full glasses in the hands of some of the characters. What the Spanish painter depicts in the meadow is a Country scene around a still life, a widely used technique.

Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party (1881, Phillips Collection)

Finally, we find another French artist who depicts an everyday scene. In this case, the scene we see was one that was often repeated, since what we see portrayed is the terrace of a restaurant that Renoir frequented with his friends. The atmosphere shown in the painting is one of joy, friends chatting around a table full of… wine! Again, represented on the table, we would find a still life in which there are barrels, fruit, bottles and glasses. With this work we can see, once again, the importance that wine has always had and the relationship it has, and that we have given it, as a companion in our meetings.

These are the five famous paintings with wine which could show us the importance that wine had, and still has, in our daily lives. This drink appeared over the years in various scenes and representations, but I think that, after knowing these five works, we can see that the most common thing was to introduce wine in everyday and traditional scenes. It is a drink accompanied, most of the time, by a happy atmosphere that we decide to share with our family, friends, etc., the same as we do today.

If you want to be part of this perfect union between art and wine with us, you can achieve it thanks to our Art&Wine experience. For approximately 1h 30m, you will learn to paint a picture by yourself, always with the help of one of our teachers while enjoying a good wine and good music. You can come alone, with friends or with your partner.