Alexis CollinsUSCH 1112Art AnalysisA Renaissance PETAAt first glance, Pieter Aertsen's, A Meat Stall with the Holy Family Giving Alms, seems to be a grotesque form of still life painting; but upon further examination we can see that this painting is a criticism of mankinds romanticized ideas about human pleasure and its reality as an excessive, domineering and carnality. This false form of living blinds us from the significant elements of and events in life. It is largely ahead of its time as the artist uses something that is typically considered pleasing and necessary to life and makes it repulsive. In the painting in question, an array of meat absorbs most of the action of the picture. Most striking is the image of a cow's head on a table, that has been partially skinned, eyes left intact so they appear to be staring at the viewer. There are dead birds laid out at the bottom corner of the painting on a basket, a pig's head hangs by its snout on the rafters of the meat stall. Hanging next to the pigs head are all other forms of severed limbs dripping with fat, a rib cage, and long lines of sausages. Various fish, spices, salts, towels (on which are more sausages,) pots and milk make us feel like we are in a butchers shop, perhaps picking out a delicious pig head to take home to our families for dinner. There is a walkway on the right hand side, directly outside of the meat stall on which is a young man pouring wine into a bucket. Around his feet are a large number of oyster shells. Behind him, another room or house connected to the stall shows a scene in which a group appears to be having a small party. Depicted on the left side of the stall is a barely visible scene which, if it were not mentioned in the title of the painting, would be very difficult to determine. It is of the Virgin Marys trip to Egypt. Upon a close examination, we see Mary giving bread to a peasant boy as a mass of people pass them. A few members of the crowd look back; but a close examination of their faces shows them to be looking past Mary towards the meat stall. In the upper right hand corner of the painting is a sign in Swedish that is translated, Land for sale out back: 154 rods, either by the piece or all at once. This is in reference to a controversial land sale that took place in 1551 in Antwerp.First of all, I would like to address his use of the still life/genre style of the painting. This combination makes the painting a still life with a message. It criticizes our perceptions of reality. When still life paintings were popular, take for instance Still Life With Oysters, 1635 by William Claesz Heda, they often depicted images of foods and dishware that a family could not actually afford. The still lifes served as a cheat (per se) that allowed a family to have these fancy things without having them tangibly. People like to pretend their lives are extravagant, but life actually consists of a gross array of meats. The most striking feature of this painting, the severed cows head is very purposefully unappetizing. It is placed in a way that makes it seem as if it is alive: as if it should be alive. Its sad eyes stare directly at us, condemning our presence. The colors of the meat are also striking. The reds are very harsh to look at, and the creamy colors of the pig head, fat, and sausage look sickly. The sausages are laid out in a way that makes them look like human secretions. It is quite repulsive; yet this is what these foods actually look like. We are disturbed because we gravitate towards food as a means of pleasure. Our minds are regularly and romantically absorbed with food; but the truth is that the food we prefer is repulsive. How many times a day do we say, Im hungry, or What are we having for dinner? The focal point of this painting is far more true to life than we would like to admit. We like to think our lives consist of the fancy Heda still life, but in actuality, we are attracted to disgusting animal carcasses.The large quantity and variety of meats speak to mans excessive nature. The meat takes up almost the entirety of the picture. We are not content with merely a fish or two, which is more than enough for us to eat and be content: we want half a cow if it is available. Heda makes us feel as if we are virtuous and temperate, with our orange and wine; but Aertsen calls us back and shows us how much self-control we lack.The next thing the viewers eye is drawn towards is the party of people at a table enjoying each others company. They have thrown a large number of oyster shells all over the ground, and are preparing a new rack of meat. There is good in seeking fellowship with others; but it can also lead to wastefulness and destruction. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, Do not be deceived, bad company corrupts good character. The impression I get from these folks is one of bad company. The painter is not advocating their behavior, he is condemning it. They are flippantly wasteful of the gifts they have.Next, I would like to briefly address the sign outside of the building and its purpose in qualifying the artists criticism of pleasure as all forms of excessive, wasteful self-deception, not merely food related. During the time this painting was created, in order to urbanize the Southeast side of town, the people of Antwerp voted to evict a prestigious order of Augustinian nuns belonging to St. Elisabeths hospital. Later on, officials realized they had taken 154 acres of excess land. Instead of reinstating the land to the nuns, the state sold it. Even worse, they sold the land to a known public troublemaker who caused a large number of problems for the community. It was a kairotic element that Aertsen worked into his painting to criticize the excess of the people, who voted to tear apart the honorable institution on a whim for urbanization.[footnoteRef:2] [2: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-reformation/northern/antwerp-bruges/a/pieter-aertsen-meat-stall Accessed 5/27/2015]

Finally, we have the scene of the Virgin Marys trip to Egypt, which provides an example of virtuosity, and condemns the way we marginalize said virtues to the umpteenth degree. First, we have the color. Contrasted with the harsh reds and sickly creams of most of the picture, we have a gentle blue color, like a fresh breeze on a hot day. It is aesthetically more appealing than anything else in the painting; nonetheless, the action of the scene is barely visible: we can only see it if we really take the time to look. In real life, our carnal pleasures always absorb the forefront of our minds. We are seldom willing to look past these carnal pleasures into the more important and more deeply pleasurable elements of life. Mary serves as the example of self-control, gratitude, generosity, and love. Her possessions are limited, yet she continues to give to those in need. We, on the other hand, are still concerned with feeding our own stomachs. The crowds surrounding the scene pay no attention to the helpless young woman who is selflessly providing for those in need. They look back only to covet the meat stall. Instead of thinking about how they can help the beggars, or admiring the selfless nature of Mary, they, like us, are only concerned with their stomachs.Perhaps the title of this essay, A Renaissance PETA is overstated. I doubt that Aertsen was advocating the veganism or animal worship that PETA often advocates. However, I do believe he was advocating what Romans 14:20 says, Do not destroy Gods creation for food. Anything in excess is a destruction of his creation. It destroys physical life unnecessarily and creates a disgusting, depressing, and unpleasing atmosphere. It destroys spiritual life by preventing us from seeing the truly important events. He is not condemning our focus on our stomachs alone: anything that is a simple or false pleasure is equally condemned through the painting. Yes, this painting is repulsive (it is certainly not one I plan to exhibit in my living room,) but it is also meaningful, thought provoking, and (dare I say) beautiful. It leaves people with the question: How am I wasteful? and How can I change? And that is a question well worth provoking.

Pieter Aertsen, A Meat Stall with the Holy Family Giving Alms, 1551, oil on panel 45 1/2 x 66 1/2 inches / 115.6 x 168.9 cm (North Carolina Museum of Art).