The Picnic 

Danny Galieote painted “The Picnic” in the twentieth century with oil on canvas. At first glance this work may appear to simply depict a woman enjoying a hot dog, however, I think there is something slightly more unsettling going on. Note the highly artificial style reminiscent of advertising and the way the artist crops the scene, focusing on the moment of consumption. In post-war America, the advertising industry boomed, shaping consumer culture. In this context, the hot dog can be seen as a symbol of American consumerism and idealized domesticity. Galieote seems to me to be offering a critique of this culture, exaggerating the artifice and hinting at a loss of genuine human connection. Studying the visual language of advertising from the time, as well as the burgeoning field of consumer studies, can help us understand Galieote’s intentions.