Remains of Lunch

Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Remains of Lunch, 1922, pen and ink, brush and ink on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2003.18
Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Remains of Lunch, 1922, pen and ink, brush and ink on paper, 13 7810 12 in. (35.226.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2003.18

Artwork Details

Title
Remains of Lunch
Date
1922
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
13 7810 12 in. (35.226.7 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums
Mediums Description
pen and ink, brush and ink on paper
Classifications
Subjects
  • Object — other — dish
  • Object — fruit — pear
  • Object — tool — screwdriver
Object Number
2003.18

Artwork Description

Kuniyoshi’s early drawings were often humorous, and his keen wit and interest in visual and verbal puns are evident in Remains of Lunch. This drawing unpretentiously displays the remnants of a light meal, with a demitasse spoon, cigarette butt, dollops of pear sauce, and a fluted, paper pastry cup. The artist’s widow noted that Kuniyoshi loved pears and pear sauce. Here he played with the homonyms “pear” and “pair,” matching birds, leaves, and fruits along the border of the plate. The two pears at the top lean affectionately against each other. The ink field enclosing the composition resembles a stomach in which food is being digested.


The Artistic Journey of Yasuo Kuniyoshi, 2015

Works by this artist (1 item)

Sondra Freckelton, Harvest, 1978, watercolor and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.32
Harvest
Date1978
watercolor and pencil on paper
Not on view

Related Books

KuniyoshiCover_500.jpg
The Artistic Journey of Yasuo Kuniyoshi
Painter, photographer, and printmaker Yasuo Kuniyoshi immigrated to the United States from Japan in 1906 and began a journey through New York City, Europe, and Japan that forged his unique painting style. In The Artistic Journey of Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Tom Wolf charts the artist's life and career through sixty-six of the artist's best paintings and drawings. What emerges is a richly complex portrait of an artist navigating the social, cultural, and political challenges of his adopted homeland.

More Artworks from the Collection

William H. Johnson, City Gates, Kairouan, ca. 1932, watercolor and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.67
City Gates, Kairouan
Dateca. 1932
watercolor and pencil on paper
Not on view
William H. Johnson, Kerteminde Hillside, ca. 1930-1932, pen and ink, watercolor, and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.49
Kerteminde Hillside
Dateca. 1930-1932
pen and ink, watercolor, and pencil on paper
Not on view
Bill Traylor, Untitled (Brown Pig), April 1940, opaque watercolor and pencil on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Margaret Z. Robson Collection, Gift of John E. and Douglas O. Robson, 2016.38.70, © 1994, Bill Traylor Family Trust
Untitled (Brown Pig)
DateApril 1940
opaque watercolor and pencil on paperboard
Not on view
Awa Tsireh, Buffalo Man, Buffalo Dance, ca. 1920-1930, watercolor and pencil on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Corbin-Henderson Collection, gift of Alice H. Rossin, 1979.144.24
Buffalo Man, Buffalo Dance
Dateca. 1920-1930
watercolor and pencil on paperboard
Not on view