The Ramen Eaters is a tribute to starving artists everywhere. Most notable among these are Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin. The reference to Van Gogh’s Potato Eaters is intentional – except that Ramen Soup is even cheaper than potatoes. With any luck, you might find 10 packages on sale for $1 – rationed out properly, enough to keep a body alive for a week – or more. The chairs the couple sits in are from their paintings. In the background, the Starry Night is coming thru the window next to Van Gogh, and above Gauguin’s head is an excerpt from his Spirit of the Dead Watching.  On the back of the painting, I have included a quotation attributed to Van Gogh: 

 'I cannot help it if my paintings do not sell.  The time will come when people realize they are worth more than the cost of the paint. '