Martinis have become an icon to alcohol drinkers worldwide, and even those who don't care to imbibe recognize one on sight and equate it with indulgence and high style. Because of this iconic meaning for many audiences, it comes as no surprise that martini art has been portrayed with increasing frequency among modern artists.
Although there are some excellent artists who choose to portray this subject matter realistically, like Debbie DeWitt and Maryworcester Newell, it's far more common to see artistic martinis treated with the lighthearted and satiric attitudes of surrealism or pop art.
For surrealists, martini's and other cocktail's are a nearly untapped subject matter, which appeals to their sense of creativity and adventure. The themes of these works include the decadence and thrill of modern life, and may also include several other vices such as gambling, flirtatious behaviors, and violence. However, despite these themes-or perhaps because of them- surrealists like Michael Goddard are able to repaint what they see in those themes, rendering the pain and indulgence of the real world as whimsically absurd as a butterfly on stilts. Godard's works in this category feature olives as the main subjects which 'act out' the purpose while the martini glass is alternatively used as an environmental prop or to place emphasis on the theme. One example of this type of work is 'Gangster Martini' where the martini glass’ stem is in the shape of a gun, directing the viewer's attention to the scene above.
Pop art also employs martini glass art, largely because of the symbolism associated with the cocktail. For pop artists, like surrealists, it isn't the cocktail itself that provides interest, but the ideas that people have about it which make it worth portraying in their work. These works are typically retro in execution and feature words identifying which cocktail is being portrayed or how it was made. Additionally, martinis in pop art are generally bright, eye-catching works which stress the fun and flirtatious lifestyle that these beverages have become synonymous with in modern culture.
