Daguerreotype Still Life – Salt & Vinegar Sweet Potato Fries
The still life has had an important role within the history of photography since the inception of the medium in the mid-19th century. As the technology advanced, still life compositions were the simplest works to produce because the inanimate objects gave the artist the greatest amount of control during the long exposure time. With further...
Wayne Thiebaud – Pop Art Cakes
The frosting upon Wayne Thiebaud’s 1963 painting, Cakes, is so thickly applied that I am often tempted to reach out, run my finger along one of the perfect cake-tops to taste the sugary dessert. Thiebaud cleverly uses a thick application of paint to mimic the look and texture of frosting, highlighting the idea of ‘object...
Gustavo Montoya – Eggs Galette à la Mexicana
The flavours of this traditionally haphazard French dessert are inspired by the Mexican classic, huevos rancheros. Traditionally, the eggs are cracked into a bubbling mixture of tomato, chilli and pepper and cooked until soft. The egg and tomatoes are then scooped into a tortilla and eaten like a burrito with a bit of cheese. In...
Khoo Kongsi Stone Carving – Murtabak
From fried oysters to cendol, I consumed a number of delectables while travelling in Malaysia in late October. Our restaurants ranged from street food in Penang to a private beach BBQ on Redang Island. Malaysian food is an exciting blend of Indian, Chinese and Malay cuisines with regional curries and fried noodle courses. I tried...
Raphaelle Peale – Steak Salad in a Lettuce Leaf with Fresh Herbs
Visual characteristics of the slab of raw beef in Raphaelle Peale’s Still Life with Steak (c.1817) are repeated within other elements of the composition. The curve of the cabbage is mimicked by the curve of the fat and the veins of the leaf are also found in the white threads of sinew of the beef....
Colour Red – Claude Monet – Steak Tartare
In the mid-16th century, Spain began importing a vibrant red pigment from the New World that was so highly sought after that the source was held as a national secret. The dye was extracted from the blood of a female cochineal, a wingless insect that lives upon the leaves of the prickly pear. The dye...
Colour Project
The colour of a food or dish plays an important role in its appeal. Before tasting a tomato, we know that if it is green, it is unripe. These inherent expectations of the natural colouration of the world around us present an interesting challenge to artists. To represent skin tones in a portrait or the...
Diego Rivera – Shrimp Tacos
While attending the San Carlos Academy in Mexico City, Diego Rivera worked in the studio of José Guadalupe Posada, a leading printmaker of the time. The lithograph, Niño con Taco, was created the same year that Rivera commenced his work on the Detroit Industry frescoes (1932-33). The lithograph features a stylised little boy in his...
Cornelius Hankins – Roasted Potato Salad with a Mustard-Dill Vinaigrette
Dating all the way back to the 16th century, potato salad was brought by the Spanish from the Americas to Europe. Their version was made by boiling potatoes in vinegar or wine – giving the starchy and often stodgy food a light and sour twang. The German variety, also made with vinegar was Americanised in...
Clara Peeters – Cheeseboard with Marinated Artichokes & Spicy Cherry Chutney
Clara Peeters, a Flemish artist working at the turn of the 17th century, painted meticulously detailed still life paintings influenced by Osias Beert. Her skill in rendering texture is evident in the rough and crumbly cheese and the smooth cherries. Her work is often thought to contain religious iconography and using the commonly associated symbolic...
Nora Heysen – Corn Fritters with Roasted Peppers, Cilantro and Feta
Nora Heysen painted Corn cobs (1938) the same year she won the prestigious Archibald Prize. As the first woman appointed an official war artist, she travelled to New Guinea in 1943 where she was stationed for three years and completed 170 works depicting the women’s war effort. Corn cobs demonstrates influences of Post-Impressionist art, which...
Henri Fantin-Latour – Baked Cheesecake with Sugared Grapes
Although Henri Fantin-Latour was predominantly known for his still life floral paintings, he did paint a number of works featuring fruit including Still Life with Grapes and a Carnation (c.1880), pictured above. The painting is completed in his typical style with the sombre palette influenced by Jean-Siméon Chardin. His deft skill in arrangement is evident...