Wednesday’s ad is for another Italian brewery, Birra Dicitura. It seems like it has to be later than the 1920s, because the art is less well-defined, more abstract. It almost seems unfinished, a rough sketch. And I can’t help but wonder; why the five of hearts? Dicitura, by the way, is Italian for “wording.”
Tuesday’s ad is for an Italian brewery, Birra Metzger, in Torino, our second ad from this brewery. They were founded in 1848 but closed in 1975. The artist’s name is Filberto Mateldi (1882-1942), a well-known Italian illustrator, who made his name in the fashion world.
Monday’s ad is for a French brewery, Bieres de Montmorillon, most likely from the 1920s. This ad is quite odd, with the weird little man in the red coast actually licking at the beer and giving a strange sidewards glance. I’m not sure that would make me want to try their brand.
Today’s paintings are part of an exciting new project by a married couple working collaboratively on their Beer Paintings. Louie Van Patten is from Des Moines, Iowa but studied painting in Central Oregon. His wife, Cara Thayer, learned her craft at the Art Institute of Chicago, but she’s originally from Bend, Oregon, and that’s where the pair now make their home. Their regular art, showcased at The Gryllus has been exhibited in Bend and from Palo Alto to Vancouver. But being in Bend, home to Deschutes, “phenomenal beer is unavoidable and is bound to convert anyone who tries it,” as was the case with Thayer and Patten. So they decided to combine their love of good beer with their art, and the result is the newly launched Beer Paintings project. The very first painting was done for their local beer store, The Brew Shop.
They’ve also been painting bottles, cans and crowns. Here’s a representative sample below.
North Coast’s Imperial Stout Old Rasputin.
Oskar Blues’ imperial stout Ten Fidy.
A crown from Three Floyds Brewing.
I asked Patten about the beer paintings.
These beer paintings have been somewhat of a side project, with our regular, very different body of work being the paintings at The Gryllus. Craft beer has always been a huge part of our painting ritual and one of our biggest interests outside of art. We did the first painting as a gift to The Brew Shop, but we found there was something really enjoyable about merging our hobby of collecting and drinking craft beers with our full-time painting practice. There is also something we like about the idea of an un-ironic contemporary still-life, especially in the case of painting something like Oskar Blues’ Ten Fidy, with canned beers typically being derided for their aesthetics. Ultimately, these paintings are about externalizing the beer drinking experience into something that can be enjoyed when you can’t imbibe. We like the idea of giving people who are passionate about good beer another way to show it, with the dignity it deserves.
And here’s their most recent painting, featuring some more really great beers, including a few local ones to me.
Our 32nd Guinness poster by John Gilroy was a one-off for a specific event, the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
The zookeeper is shown holding up a bench — presumably made possible from drinking a Guinness — with four of the animals used in various Guinness ads over the years, all waving British flags. There’s no text at all, but I assume everyone would have understood it at the time.
Friday’s ad is for the German brewery Spaten from either 1924 of 1933 (accounts differ). It’s by the famous German poster artist Ludwig Hohlwein. I love the stylized server and just the timeless quality of the art.
As far as beer is concerned, Hohlwein is probably best know for creating the artwork of the monk used in the label for Franziskaner Weissbier.
Thursday’s ad continues our week of ads from France, this one done in 1930. It’s for Biere Phenix, which was founded in 1886. The artist’s name is Leon Dupin. Either the sailor’s drinking in the fog, or he has a disembodied hand.
Wednesday’s ad is yet another one from France, done in 1920. It’s for Biere De Vezelise, a brewery that was located in northeastern France since 1863, when it was founded by Antoni Moreau. The brewery closed in 1971. The artist’s name is Guerzan.
Tuesday’s ad is another one from France, done in 1929. It’s for Maik Les Bieres De Luxe, a brewery located on the Champs-Elysess in Paris. The artist is T. Mercier.
Monday’s ad is an old one from Quilmes, the best-selling beer in Argentina. “Y Todos Con” translates to “And All With” Quilmes. I love the stylized glasses in the hands, and the way they depict the motion of having just clinked them together.
