I’ve decided that I’m opening an art gallery, but that art gallery is mostly hypothetical and exists as a newsletter on the Internet. Welcome, and thanks for coming.
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I recently saw The Taste of Things—have you seen it?! In case you haven’t, it’s a film about food and romance in equal measure, set in the late 1800s in France. Food is a huge part of the film and there are long scenes of the main characters making lavish dishes, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
One such dish in the film is baked Alaska, which I now cannot stop thinking about, because…ice cream and cake! Baked in an oven!
In honor of the baked Alaska, this week’s exhibit is called FOOD IN DISGUISE.
Shall we?
Our first piece is Vertumnus by Arcimboldo. My son and I stumbled upon this painting while reading The Ultimate Art Museum, and my jaw dropped when I read that this was painted in….1590?!
Arcimboldo painted this portrait for his patron, the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, apparently to the Emperor’s delight. Though, the emperor must have known what he was getting into in employing Arcimboldo to make his portrait:
“Arcimboldo, according to an Italian friend, was always up to something capricciosa, or whimsical, whether it was inventing a harpsichord-like instrument, writing poetry or concocting costumes for royal pageants.1
Stare at this one for a while if you have a minute.
As a side note I would love to be described as “always up to something whimsical”.
Next, please step into Chocolate Room by Ed Ruscha.
The above photo is from a version of this Ed Ruscha did in Los Angeles, but he recently showed Chocolate Room again at MOMA, and I was there to feast my eyes upon it in September.
Here’s a crappy little snap from my phone to give you a feel for it:
Each of the tiles you see is actually a piece of paper that is screen printed with real, melted chocolate, which has been treated like ink. The fabricators of this exhibit had to print each piece in this very room before installing, because the chocolate is incredibly sensitive to temperature2
Standing in the middle of the above room is something else. The color of the chocolate is something I don’t think I could replicate. Also, there was a feeling. How could there not be in a room tiled with chocolate?
If you’re curious about how Chocolate Room was made, this short video is excellent.
Our final piece are these Haribo Berries gummy candies, which on first glance look like actual berries, a fact I find very cute.
Eating can seem like such a utilitarian thing—I love that we humans decided at one point to make food beautiful and interesting.
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That’s it!
Thanks for attending another Gallery Blerf exhibit. I’d love to hear your thoughts on food, art, or food+art. Do you have a favorite gummy candy shape?! Comment if you’d like!
Gallery Bookstore
Menu Design in Europe: I bought my husband this book for Christmas and it is hefty. So much inspiration it will make your head spin. See also Menu Design in America.
Small Victories: my very favorite cookbook. It’s approachable and beautiful and I’ve cooked from it regularly for years. By the lovely Julia Turshen.
Baguette Bread Lamp: made out of actual bread!
Andy Warhol What Colors Do You See?: A board book for baby artists featuring Andy Warhol’s iconic Campbell’s soup prints.
Pairs Well With
Anything Sam Keller. Don’t miss his Flamin’ Hot Cheetoshpere | This deep dive on bean packaging omg | Alyson Fox’s Wanna Ikebana series, which she makes from found objects, including kitchen scraps
Wishing you many visual treats this week,
Rachel
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/arcimboldos-feast-for-the-eyes-74732989/
https://www.moma.org/audio/playlist/334/4458
Beautiful textures!