Feasting on Art

Made with odds and ends from the bottom of my crisper, this soup can be easily adapted to suit whatever you may have on hand. You could add a few potatoes, or tomatoes or even a few peppers. The chipotle chilies lend a bit of smoky spice to what would be a rather sweet soup because of the pumpkin and the carrot. The soup freezes well and delicious when topped with some roughly chopped nuts for a bit of texture and a bit of feta cheese for the sharp tang against the creaminess of the soup.

Johan Briedé, Still Life with Pumpkins 1931
oil on canvas, 53 x 95.5cm, Private collection

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Eat This Poem is a new blog that combines food and poetry in much the same way Feasting on Art considers food and art. The website is written by Nicole Gulotta who has an MFA in poetry enabling her to marry beautiful words with delicious food. Working with her on a collaboration only felt natural and when she suggested a post investigating William Carlos Williams and Pieter Bruegel, I knew I was fated to work with her. While an undergrad I double majored in both English and History of Art and in my final semester, I did an entire course in William Carlos Williams. My major paper considered the collection of poems titled Pictures from Bruegel which is a composite representation of Bruegel’s work through the viewpoint of Williams. The poetry illustrates the way in which Williams’ eye follows the canvas and his impressions while gazing upon the works.

Pieter Bruegel, The Harvesters, 1565
oil on wood, 118 x 160.7cm, Metropolitan Museum of Art

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The past two years have contained a lot of changes; two new jobs, a new apartment and the start of my life here in Australia. The first entry on this blog was posted only one month after I moved to Sydney. I was unemployed and living in a different city with few friends and a family in another hemisphere. In the beginning, this blog filled the gaps in my life and along the way, I have gathered an incredible group friends and a career that has left me fulfilled and happy. Feasting on Art has been my constant and I hope that I have somewhat conveyed the importance of this space in my life.

Floris Gerritsz van Schooten, A Still Life of Cheese, c.1585
oil on oak panel, 39.3 x 55.2 cm, Private collection

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This is the last weekend before the Feasting on Art Recipe Contest deadline. Submit your entries now to be in the running to win a copy of the cookbook, Food of the Louvre.

Historically, the pomegranate was used to symbolise fertility due to the mythical origins of the fruit. As related by Silvia Malaguzzi in her book Food and Feasting in Art, the god Acdestis, violent and lustful, was “handed over to Bacchus, who got him drunk. Once Acdestis had passed out, Bacchus tied up his feet and genitals. When Acdetis woke up, blood seeping from his genitals formed the pomegranate. The fruit was taken to the nymph Nana, who became pregnant by it and gave birth to Atys” (1). From the outside, the pomegranate is a fairly inauspicious fruit. It was not until I sliced it open, the crimson juice staining the cutting board and splattering on my clothes, that the corporeal aspect of the fruit was revealed. Within the iconography of the Christian Church, the pomegranate represents the blood of Christ. The name is derived from the Latin pōmum meaning apple and grānātus meaning seeded. Beating a section of the fruit with the back of a spoon yields a scattering of round ruby seeds.  The pomegranate is sometimes thought to be the forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden, similar to the ‘garden of paradise’ of Qur’an where the ancient fruit with the jewel-like seeds grew (2).

Jacob van Hulsdonck, Still Life with Lemons, Oranges and a Pomegranate, c.1620-40
oil on panel, 42 x 49.5 cm, The Getty Collection

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Hello friends, it is that time of year again! I am happy to announce the opening of the 2nd annual Feasting on Art Recipe Contest to commemorate the two-year mark of this blog. Following the success of last year’s contest, I decided to feature a painting of an ingredient that is near-and-dear to my heart – cheese. From cheesecake to cheese fondue, I find a way to work a bit of dairy into the majority of my favourite recipes. Between now and March 21st, submit your best cheese recipes to win a lovely cookbook and to help me celebrate another year of food & art!

Floris Gerritsz van Schooten, A Still Life of Cheese, c.1585
oil on oak panel, 39.3 x 55.2 cm, Private collection

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