The colour blue – reserved for the robes of the holiest of mothers – was one of the rarest and most expensive pigments in use during the Renaissance. For the depiction of Virgin Mary, only ultramarine was used due to its price and elusiveness as it is was found only in Asia and is presently mined in only a handful of places around the world. The name ultramarine was derived from the Italian oltramarion meaning ‘from beyond the sea’ because it was imported from Asia. Made from ground lapis lazuli, the pigment yielded a brilliant hue verging on the violet side rather than the greenish tint commonly found in the substitute colour, azurite.
Completed 40 years after the artist’s infamous ‘Blue Period’, Pablo Picasso‘s Still-Life with Cheese (1944) depicts a domestic tableaux in a somber palette. The painting, composed with a range of blues and grays punctuated with a dash of yellow, was completed in 1944. At that time, Picasso was living in German-occupied Paris and was ending an almost 10-year liaison with his mistress, both reasons to warrant the subdued painting. Like the Still Life relief of 1914, Picasso looks to the emmental variety of Switzerland to represent cheese because of it’s characteristic holes. The holes enabled Picasso to clearly denote the cheese within the larger compositions of abstract geometric shapes in his paintings.
Broccoli + Blue Cheese Soup
Yield: 4 servings
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon butter
2 small potatoes
1 large head of broccoli
1 liter vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
salt + ground pepper
100 grams of blue cheese
olive oil + fresh herbs for garnish
Finely chop the onion and garlic. Add to a large pot over medium high heat. Add the melted butter and saute until the onions become soft, around 5 minutes. Cube the potatoes and the stalk of the broccoli and add to the pot with the vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, 15-20 mintues.
Chop the flower portion of the head of broccoli and add to the pot. After 2-3 minutes, add the nutmeg, salt + pepper and blue cheese. Stir well and use a hand blender to puree the mixture. Once smooth, spoon into bowls, drizzle with olive oil and garnish with fresh herbs.
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12 comments
Megan Fizell (@tresjoliestudio) says:
May 12, 2011
Colour Blue – Pablo Picasso – Broccoli + Blue Cheese Soup http://goo.gl/fb/IYjR7 #food #art
Jon says:
May 12, 2011
Tried this, and it was yummy. Thanks!
Julie says:
May 12, 2011
The blues are mesmerizing in Picasso’s still life, and I love how you mimicked that color for your photo background. The soup looks yummy too.
Kanon says:
May 13, 2011
This blue cheese soup makes me smile and say “Cheese!” :)
Rosa says:
May 14, 2011
Wowza, that combo is fantastic! Right up my alley.
Cheers,
Rosa
Big Fan says:
May 14, 2011
This is a great posting. Love all of it.
Brock says:
May 16, 2011
Hi I love how you collaborate Picasso’s painting to a yummy soup. Can’t wait to try this at home.
Brenna L (@brennakL) says:
May 18, 2011
like food? like art? http://j.mp/iQtH6N … you’ll thank me later…
Colleen Ross Brand (@koeksista) says:
Apr 23, 2012
love art! love food! they’re combined in this blog. http://t.co/jsoCnD9x
Merchant (@MerchantNOLA) says:
Apr 23, 2012
Picasso’s ‘Still Life with Cheese’ in the colour blue. http://t.co/QgnAsj5R
Aslı Solakoğlu (@AsliSol) says:
Jun 6, 2012
Picasso’dan brokoli çorbasına:http://t.co/Q7F9W2MC
Bridget says:
Jul 8, 2023
Yummy soup, simple and now my go to soup