Art and smoking cigarettes
July 12th, 2016
The first pictures of smoking appeared in the Classical Mayan pottery in nearly the ninth century.
The art was originally of religious nature and pictured deities or rulers smoking early cigarette versions.
Soon after smoking became widespread in other continents apart from Americas, smoking scenes were pictured by European and Asian painters. Dutch painters of the Art Golden Age were those who started to picture smoking persons, they pioneered a new smoking style.
For South-European painters of the 17th century, pipes were too modern to fill smoking scenes with personalities of Greek and Roman ages.
Pictured smoking scenes firstly related to village inhabitants. Many of first-appeared pictures referred to scenes, happening in taverns or brothels. As the Dutch Republic got a significant wealth and power, smoking became more widespread amongst the gentle representatives of society. Smoking was a synonym of delight, transience and shortness of earthly life as it, literally said, was converted into fumes. Smoking also related to the considerations of both the senses of aroma and taste.
In the 18th century smoking appeared more frequently on the painting, depicting elegant styles of tobacco consumption in the aristocratic society.
Many proponents of post-colonial theory controversially believe smoking portrays were a possibility to project an image of European prevalence over colonial lands and a comprehension of the male prevalence over the female-dominated Orient.
Proponents think that the theme of the exotic and alien “Other” discussed in the 19th century, fueled by the rise in the popularity of ethnology during the Enlightenment.
In the 19th century, smoking was a general depiction of ordinary delights; the pipe smoking “noble savage”, solemn contemplation by Classical Roman ruins, scenes of actors, changing their natures while slowly toking pipes. The newly empowered middle class also found a new stage of smoking as a harmless delight that was enjoyed in smoking saloons and libraries.
Smoking a cigarette or a cigar would also become associated with the bohemian, someone who hit the conservative middle class values and displayed his despise for conservatism.
Modern smoking images are more related to stress the significance of smoking in our everyday reality.
They became common as the smoking is common now everywhere and usual.