Have you ever imagined what a 18th century still life painting looks like if, in the middle of flowers or fruits, a Pringles packet or a McDonald’s Big Mac, fries and Cola menu throned ? No ? You’re gonna be surprised !

That is what we let you discover with the oil paintings of Dave Pollot, a New York based artist. Originally, in 2012, the artist wanted to work on how to change the meaning of old pieces of art. « It quickly evolved into an attempt to answer a question : Could I take a piece of abandoned art without changing its aesthetic ? To change its meaning by including some bit of pop culture/nostalgia to make it desirable in the modern world ? » he says. It’s only after that he imagined including junk food and cie in his paintings : « I then started to explore a number of more personal themes in my work. For example, using popular food items inserted into still life paintings to represent the distractions (both mental and material) that prevent us from being present and focused on where we are and what we’re doing. » he tells us. His purpose ? To question the idea that we can not contextualize a piece of art that reflects some indices on a cultural level and that nobody can claim the ownership of the pop culture of a given time period.

Although he’s never studied art, Dave has always been passionate by painting. « My parents recognized early that I had some natural talent when it came to drawing and painting, however they always encouraged me to make art my hobby instead of my job. » he finally says.

You can discover the oil paintings of Dave on his Instagram account called « davepollotart ». Awesome !