Meat Still Life: A System of Symbols

Pieter Aertsen's "Meat Still Life" is, at first glance, an unlikely candidate for a discussion on religion as a "system of symbols." But, upon more careful examination, we see that this painting is a prime example of religious symbols being used to establish pervasive and long-lasting moods and motivations in a group of people.

In the case of "Meat Still Life," that group of people was Calvinists in the Netherlands. Aertsen employs a variety of symbols and scenes to effectively promote the proper Calvinist way of living. The most prevalent symbols occur in the foreground of the of the work. Here, we see images of pretzels as well as crossed fish. The crossed fish here are representative of Jesus while the pretzels carry religious significance because of their monastic origins. In the background of the painting, we see even stronger religious symbolism portrayed. On the left side of the background we can see an image of the Virgin Mary and Joseph offering bread to some children. On the right side of the background we can see people engaging in partying and oyster shells (oysters are widely considered to be an aphrodisiac) all over the ground. These two scenes juxtapose each other in that the Virgin scene represents a pious way of life, and the other shows a more gluttonous and avaricious life.

All of these various independent symbols combine to form a system of symbols. All of these things work together in this painting to show reverence for God and display the right and wrong ways of living. While this painting is not overtly religious at first glance, upon further examination it reveals a rich amount of religious symbolism incorporated into the more common elements of daily life.