From a 16th-century worker’s humble lunch to raging rap, our critics find the works that grapple with the challenges of hard times
A cost of living crisis plagued 16th-century Europe – food prices rose and made life harder for the urban poor, like this man portrayed in Annibale Carracci’s The Beaneater and his unadorned meal. Carracci rejects glamour and myth, abandoning the stylishness of Renaissance art, casting his eyes on humble reality. The ragged man in a tumbledown room is making the most of his workaday lunch, concentrating hard on the beans in their broth. We are in Rome and there’s also a dish of artichokes on the table, along with a small glass of wine; it might be a simple meal but it looks good enough to eat. Jonathan Jones
