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
(Left) Diego Rivera, The Boy with the Taco / El Niño del taco (1932), lithograph, 43.18 x 30.16 cm(Right) Diego Rivera, The temptations of Saint Antony / Las tentaciones de San Antonio (1947), oil on canvas, 90 x 100 cm, Museuo Nacional de Arte, Mexico City. While attending the San Carlos Academy in Mexico City,...
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, Still Life with Cheeses, Artichoke and Cherries (c.1625)oil on wood, 46.6 x 33.3 cm, Los Angeles County Museum of Art 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...
Nora Heysen – Corn Fritters with Roasted Peppers, Cilantro and Feta
Nora Heysen, Corn cobs (1938), oil on canvas, 40.5 x 51.3 cm, Art Gallery of New South Wales 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...
Henri Fantin-Latour – Baked Cheesecake with Sugared Grapes
Henri Fantin-Latour, Still Life with Grapes and a Carnation (c.1880)oil on canvas, 30.5 x 47 cm, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. 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...