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 7⁄8 x 10 1⁄2 in. (35.2 x 26.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2003.18

Artwork Details

Title
Remains of Lunch
Artist
Date
1922
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
13 7⁄8 x 10 1⁄2 in. (35.2 x 26.7 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
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/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 (7 items)

View all artworks
Burgoyne Diller, Untitled, 1930, ink on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Halley K. Harrisburg and Michael Rosenfeld, 1999.85.6
Untitled
Artist
Date1930
ink on paper
Not on view
Burgoyne Diller, Untitled, 1961, graphite and crayon on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Halley K. Harrisburg and Michael Rosenfeld, 1999.85.3
Untitled
Artist
Date1961
graphite and crayon on paper
Not on view
Burgoyne Diller, Untitled, 1947, graphite and crayon on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Halley K. Harrisburg and Michael Rosenfeld, 1999.85.5
Untitled
Artist
Date1947
graphite and crayon on paper
Not on view
Burgoyne Diller, Untitled, 1948, graphite and crayon on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Halley K. Harrisburg and Michael Rosenfeld, 1999.85.1
Untitled
Artist
Date1948
graphite and crayon 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

Browse All Artworks
Claire Falkenstein, City is Man, 1941-1952, linocut, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.14, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
City is Man
Artist
Date1941-1952
linocut
Not on view
Claire Falkenstein, Untitled, 1976, embossed paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.18, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
Untitled
Artist
Date1976
embossed paper
Not on view
Claire Falkenstein, Mandala, 1977, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.19, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
Mandala
Artist
Date1977
lithograph
Not on view
Image Not Available
Les Quais de la Seine a Paris
Artist
Date1917
hand-colored etching on postcard
Not on view