Noah Verrier — Corporate Apotheosis

Oscar Wilde, in his 1889 essay The Decay of Lying, opined that “life imitates art far more than art imitates life.” Certainly, for one Floridian oil painter, this observation seems to hold true, and thus metempsychosis transmigrates his soul into a harbinger of capital and consumerism. Noah Verrier's pastiches are immensely popular — that I can’t deny — for their oil depictions of junk food brands that are strikingly similar to commissioned royal portraiture of the past. Verrier’s still lifes composed of McDonald’s and Gatorade have garnered an immense audience, or rather, a cult of nostalgia, which gleefully awaits the next portrait. With 180,000 X followers, praise is thrown at Verrier for his work; work that is dreadfully bland.

Evoking the same style of royal portraits as mentioned, Verrier’s work arguably raises such food to nigh godhood in an act of corporate apotheosis. Yet, despite such a position, I view the paintings as remarkably unremarkable. One may argue that the mundanity of the work is its intention. In our commercialised world, we can never forget the role of fast food in Western culture, as it is beamed directly into our eyeballs everytime we watch TV, doomscroll, glance at bus stop adverts, and now, as we observe contemporary art. These foods embody the relentless work of advertisers and the impartial boredom they evoke. Such a view is valid, in the sense that no interpretation of art can truly be wrong. However, I would see that subjective view as greatly ignorant of Verrier’s true intentions. If I may take a quick detour to another artist, Emily Eveleth, it soon becomes apparent that such foods have so much more potential. Eveleth’s extensive work on doughnuts, of which Diary of a Thief belongs, proves that junk food can create emotions far greater than simple nostalgia.

Diary of a Thief portrays a doughnut oozing jam, its reflection in the shallow pool in which the snack stands and is ever so visceral. The bright red jam, for instance, invites the viewer into three distinct worlds — a world of rich gluttony, a bloody world of the grotesque, and a world of sensuality. All the while, the inclusion of a pool and the filling hole’s placement forms a greater image, that of a beheaded waterfowl. Perhaps it serves as a biting satire of how capitalism — the same system that allowed cheap, mass produced foods such as the central doughnut — leads to environmental degradation. Conversely, Verrier’s work lacks the same overall nuances, and I would put this down to Verrier’s greed: his desire to become part of the corporate machine. In giving the common cheeseburger the same treatment of a monarch, brands soon took notice. As Verrier’s popularity surged, he was to be commissioned by Wendys, Tacobell, and the like. Most recently, his painting of an Uncrustables jam sandwich sold for $4,999 on eBay. Verrier does not subtly critique his subjects the way Eveleth appears to. He simply wishes to share in their wealth.

Further along the point of environmental degradation, Verrier’s obsession with non-fungible tokens (NFTs), perpetuates the energy intensive cryptocurrency industry. In no way does the sustainable artist, Verrier himself, usurp the role of the conglomerate, sacking the planet for monetary gain. Perhaps another one of Eveleth’s works, specifically Yet Another Capitalist Allegory, best demonstrates how Verrier fails to create little more than childish nostalgia alongside his cash grabs. Greatly satirical (Verrier lacks the same introspection) with its towering doughnuts serving as a reminder of gluttony and disparity inherent within the capitalist system, the viewer is only privy to a relative morsel of the doughnut’s jam. Further, the title calls to question: what is the efficacy of art in attempting to stop such a pervasive aspect of modern society?

Ironically, if work such as Verrier’s does not change, the same companies he aligns himself with will continue profiteering. Ecological crises will worsen and international discontent will rise, spurring into action consumerism’s “own gravediggers,” to quote Marx. Thus, Evelyn’s proposed question may be resolved quite unexpectedly — art that serves capital most shall bring about its destructive, yet cathartic, downfall.

Image from Wikimedia Commons