Monday’s ad is from 1957, and is for Budweiser, from their “Where There’s Life … There’s Bud” series. The woman playing cards has at least a king of hearts but she’s more interested in watching the beer being poured over her Ray-Bans to worry about concealing her cards. It is a nice looking pour, but doesn’t it look like if he doesn’t stop right now — and it doesn’t look the bottle’s anywhere near empty — it going to start pouring over the edge of the glass.
This week’s work of art is by the Flemish artist Adriaen Brouwer, who was a part of the Baroque movement and lived from 1605-1638. He was especially known for his genre works and painted scenes of everyday life, which were very popular during his lifetime. According to Wikipedia; “Tradition has it that Brouwer himself spent much time in the alehouses of Flanders and Holland. His works are typically detailed and small, and often adopt themes of debauchery, drunkenness and foolishness in order to explore human emotions, expressions and responses to pain, fear and the senses.” One well known painting of Brouwer’s, In the Tavern, done in the last year of his life, 1638.
Referred to by one art critic as “a particularly picturesque scene,” he describes the painting:
Adriaen Brower has portrayed a group of individuals seated at a table. An innkeeper is serving them. The style is remarkably direct. The figures are in various positions, notably the figure in the middle who is raising his glass of beer with gusto. The artist has paid careful attention to his details: the remains of a meal on the table; the knife sticking out of the belt of the figure with his back to the viewer; and the carefully executed jug in the foreground.
While I like it, I think my favorite is one that’s known by various titles: The Bitter Drunk, the Bitter Draught, the Bitter Tonic, and the Bitter Potion. Painted in 1635, some accounts say it depicts a man having just taken some disagreeable medicine, while based on the titles, others believe simply strong, bitter beer. But I just love the expression on his face. Who among us hasn’t seen a bad drunk with that expression?
Yet another is known as Seated Drinkers, though its date is uncertain.
Another is Peasants Smoking and Drinking, painted in 1635.
And finally, Village Scene with Men Drinking, painted between 1631-35.
You can read more about Brouwer at his Wikipedia page and his biography at the Web Gallery. There’s another biography at Art Table, and also a small gallery of more of his work. You can see yet more of Brouwer’s paintings at the Web Gallery of Art, Olga’s Gallery, Wikimedia and ArtCyclopedia.
Our 88th Guinness shows the sun beating down on a smiling pint of Guinness. With the long slogan, “When the sun says “Morning gone” Guinness Time will spur you on.” Makes me thirsty, just looking at it.
Friday’s ad is from 1963, and is for Budweiser cans, specifically six-packs of cans. You gotta love the sixties fashion and that hairdo. Doesn’t she look happy picking up two six-packs?
Thursday’s ad is again from 1955, and is for another Canadian beer, this time O’Keefe’s Extra Old Stock Ale. The ad seems a little bit busy to me, with too much going on. Besides the sepia tone-like maple syrup farm background, there’s the floating label, below the “A Canadian Favourite” tagline, and the cartoon syrup farmer in the bottom right-hand corner. Then the bottom slogan, “Say O’K for O’Keefe’s.”
Wednesday’s ad is also from 1955, and is for the Canadian beer, Molson Golden Ale. Their anthropomorphized mascot, — “Goldie” — a man with the head of a lion, says modestly that “Victory isn’t always to the strong.” Based on his expression, and the happy-looking woman next to him, I’d say he’s getting beat pretty bad at bowling.
Tuesday’s ad is from 1955, years before the Blue Man Group. It’s for Schlitz, and shows a blue skinned server holding a tray containing two full pilsner glasses of beer and a half-empty bottle of Schlitz. Is it just me, or does that math not quite work? The tagline is the “World’s Most Famous Taste In Beer.”
Monday’s ad is for Pabst, possibly from the later 1940s or 50s, and is a busy, colorful cartoon. It’s set in a fishing boat by a pier, where we learn that Pabst blends their beer, from 33 different beers no less, to make it “like finest champagne.” And it’s not just blended, but specially blended.
This week’s work of art is a series of beer prints by Toronto, Canada, artist and illustrator Dave Murray. He’s completed seven beer prints so far, which he refers to as an “ongoing series based on beers I drink.” In addition, he’s done one more as a commission, entitled Stella Artois Légere. I’ve posted two of his prints below, and you can see the rest in the slideshow at the bottom. Click on the small square with the four arrows in the bottom right-hand corner to see them full screen.
PBR
Lowenbrau
Most of the works are available to purchase as a print. You can see all of his prints from the series in the slideshow below.
Our 87th Guinness is pretty simple, showing seven pints of smiling Guinness, with the slogan “A Guinness a day.” That’s one for each day of the week, with the final tagline “Guinness is good for you.”
