Hunger

The theme of want and deprivation is infrequent in current art works I'm familiar with. In the earlier part of the twentieth century, it was a different story. I was looking at the small collection at our local museum at the University of Michigan, wondering about the theme of food, food vendors, meals, and the other food themes I often notice. I found nothing (unless you count still life, which I don't). However, here is the picture that captured my attention: "Hunger" by George Grosz, Germany, 1924. His satires, I read in the accompanying documentation, called attention to the unequal effects of the economic downturn of the time. Sometimes his works prompted government censure.