Raphaelle Peale – Part 1 – Wild Blackberry & Honey Frozen Yogurt
Raphaelle Peale exhibited Blackberries (c.1813) twice at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, first in 1814 and then again in 1817. The small painting depicts both ripe and unripe berries in a small shallow bowl. The subject matter is typical for work by Peale who was fond of balancing his still life compositions with...
Paul Gauguin – Tomato Tarte Tatin
Paul Gauguin painted Nature morte aux tomates (1883) the year he quit working at the stock exchange and devoted his career to art. The work from this period is closely related to Impressionism – he later broke away from the movement by simplifying his painting and focusing on shape and bold blocks of colour. In...
Claes Oldenburg – Wood-Fired Pizza
The Swedish-born artist Claes Oldenburg is known for his sculptures of everyday objects ranging from spoons to hamburgers. The public works are often interactive and were initially scorned before being embraced for their playfulness. In addition to the colossal sized sculptures, the objects also appear in soft-form and were originally sewn together by Oldenburg’s ex-wife....
Margaret Olley – Orange Grapefruit Marmalade
On August 5th, the exhibition Slow Burn – A century of Australian women artists from a private collection, will open at the S.H. Ervin Gallery. I have spent the past four months working very hard on the exhibition catalogue and am very proud to be a co-author on such an exciting and important project. Of...
Édouard Manet – Bouillabaisse
The reduction of the genre of still life to its title produces a problem between languages. In English, the name ‘still life’ carries certain connotations. The word ‘life’ produces the idea of movement; the subject is living and has been captured or stilled within the painting. The title creates the idea that ‘still life’ is...
Paul Cézanne – French Onion Soup
The balanced composition of Paul Cézanne‘s Still Life with Onions (1895-98) alternates between the broad flat planes of the wall and the tightly grouped objects on the table. The linear forms of the table and bottle are juxtaposed by the round onions and scalloped edges. The paint is applied in heavy streaks with the brush...
De Scott Evans – Baked Risotto with a Walnut Parmesan Crust
Trompe l’oeil paintings have a long history within the realm of the visual arts. The French phrase translates to ‘trick the eye’ and it dates back to the Roman era, where it was used to create doors and windows within highly detailed murals. An ancient Greek story recounts a competition between the rivals Zeuxis and...
Pablo Picasso – Chipotle, Chorizo & Dark Beer Fondue
Pablo Picasso began making his relief constructions around 1912 which allowed him to reinforce the idea of a painting as an object by incorporating found materials into the sculptures. The subject matter is similar to his paintings from the same period, with emphasis placed on the geometric shapes found in the glass of beer, wedge...
Bartolomeo Bimbi – Sour Cherry Turnovers with Goat Cheese
The Florentine still life painter Bartolomeo Bimbi (1648-1729) enjoyed the patronage of the Medici family and to this day, several of his works can still be found in the Medici villas (including the painting above). Bimbi worked in a large scale and his paintings are often referred to as “portraits” due to their scientific focus...
Adriaen Coorte – Pickled Asparagus
The Dutch Golden Age painter Adriaen Coorte was relatively unknown until the mid-20th century when a Dutch art historian began publishing papers about his work (1). This may have been because he was not a master in the local arts guild in the 17th century. Coorte is thought to have been an amateur artist, painting...
Florentine Ricotta, Prosciutto & Walnut Salad with Cranberry Balsamic Dressing
According to Silva Malaguzzi in Food and Feasting in Art, this work of art was commissioned by the Accademia della Crusca. It was tradition for each academician “to choose a nickname associated with flour.” The motto translates to “I am not enough by myself,” an allusion to the fact that ricotta “is a humble cheese...
Paul Cézanne – Chocolate Ginger Cake with Simmered Oranges
Paul Cézanne‘s Still Life with Ginger Jar, Sugar Bowl, and Oranges was painted during a period of turmoil in his personal life and completed in the year of his death, 1906. After an estrangement from his wife, Cézanne purchased a property in Aix-en-Provence where he built a studio and most likely completed this painting. The...