In 17th century Spain, the term
bodegón referred to an eating and drinking place for commoners, equivalent to a
tavern. The term started to be used in the art world to refer to a type of pictorial composition that included common items such as food and kitchen utensils, like those you would see in an actual "bodegón".
Juan Sánchez Cotán is considered the pioneer of the Spanish
bodegón genre, with his painting
Quince, Cabbage, Melon, and Cucumber ("Membrillo, repollo, melón y pepino"). The painter and art teacher
Francisco Pacheco wrote in his 1649 painting textbook
El Arte de la Pintura (The Art of Painting) that Spanish
bodegones were a different genre than just paintings of fruit, fish, fowl, meat, vegetables, saying they carry a deeper meaning, and are more than just "pretty pictures". Spanish
bodegones were very different from the
still-lifes that were made popular by painters in
Flanders and the Netherlands. These still-lifes depicted ornate and luxurious items or colorful flower arrangements. Their purpose was to generate an appreciation of fine objects and the enjoyment of sensorial pleasures. Several Spanish
bodegones fall into the category of
vanitas paintings, which have the purpose to convey the very opposite: the futility of pursuing earthly pleasures or craving for wealth in light of the certainty of death. They are usually somber and the objects are simple and commonplace. Rather than expensive curtains or mantels, the backgrounds are plain walls or just dark brown or black backgrounds, as if in a room with a few candlelights. ==
Bodegones by Diego Velázquez ==