The Filet O Fish Oil Painting That Left McDonald's Fans Stunned
Comparing himself to "the great painterly realists of the late 19th century," longtime artist Noah Verrier, who has been painting since childhood, says on his website, "Through the act of quietly observing, my aim is to accurately yet personally discern color and light."
Clearly, Verrier — who holds a master of fine arts degree from Florida State University, where he was once a professor — takes his craft seriously. He even takes that seriousness into the philosophical realm, also saying on his website that for him, "every painting is like a prayer to God, I can be still, look closely, and interpret the colors, shapes and emotions before me."
Verrier's still-life paintings — a bowl of grapes next to a thick slice of cheese, a daffodil in a glass of water, sunflowers in a Mason jar, a cigar resting atop a glass of whiskey, a mango, an onion, and an orange, among numerous others — all rich with brushstrokes — certainly reveal his painterly approach, and more than hint at his approach to his art.
But look more thoroughly at his body of work and you'll also see a sense of whimsy. There's a peanut butter and jelly sandwich perched atop a glass half-filled with milk, beef and broccoli spilling out of a Chinese food box — and a McDonald's Big Mac, and a Chipotle burrito.
There's a McDonald's Filet-O-Fish, too
Verrier's depictions of fast food have become life-imitating art. He's been commissioned by Popeyes, for which he painted the Shrimp Tackle Box, by Little Caesars for a painting of the Fanceroni Pepperoni pizza, and by QuikTrip, for a painting of one of the chain's hot dogs.
On his own, he's painted the McDonald's Filet-O-Fish sandwich, teaming it with a strawberry milkshake, fries, and a Mason jar filled with roses. Whether it's the familiarity of the subjects of Verrier's fast-food still-life paintings, or the counterintuitive fun of seeing them depicted in a seriously artistic way, his work has attracted significant attention. More than 160,000 people follow him on Twitter and he has more than 100,000 Instagram followers.
Amid some inevitable Twitter snark, Verrier's unveiling there of the Filet-O-Fish sandwich painting found some serious admirers, offering comments including "I would definitely hang that in my kitchen," "Love," and even "I hope they put this in art history books."
Verrier is somewhat bemused by the reaction to his food paintings, telling BuzzFeed, "I guess my art is coming off as kind of a meme, because it's like a classical painting that has technique but then it's kind of silly stuff like sandwiches."
But Verrier, who paints his pieces by actually gathering the items and arranging them as he wants them to appear, also told BuzzFeed he likes taking his subjects from everyday life, "like fast food ... or just stuff that my kids eat."