Piet Mondrian – Pound Cake
This post is inspired by Caitlin Williams Freeman’s Mondrian Cake from the cafe at the San Francisco Museum of Art. I wanted my version to be easily recreated in any home kitchen. The cake was delicious but there are a few things I will change the next time I try this recipe. First, I will...
Fernand Léger – Michelada
Fernand Léger, Still Life with a Beer Mug (1921), oil on canvas, 92.1 x 60 cm Fernand Léger’s background in architecture proved to be a defining characteristic of his artistic style. The angular forms and patterns found in the paintings from his ‘mechanical period’ all embody the post-war mentality of order and regulation. The horizontal...
Louis Lozowick – Caramel Pear Butter
Louis Lozowick, Still Life #2 (1929), lithograph in black on woven paper36 x 51.2 cm, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. Louis Lozowick was a Russian born artist who immigrated to the United States in the early 20th century. He produced many lithographs during his 50-year career in his signature streamlined style. He was influenced...
Luis Meléndez – Baby Octopus in Sofregit Sauce
Luis Meléndez, Still Life with Tomatoes, a Bowl of Aubergines and Onions (c.1771-4), oil on canvas, 36.8 x 49 cm Although he received little acclaim during his lifetime, Luis Meléndez is now recognized as one of the greatest 18th-century Spanish still life artists. His works are powerful and striking though his balanced composition and control...
Fernando Botero – Frozen Watermelon Margarita
Fernando Botero, Still Life with Watermelon (1992), oil on canvas, 95 x 116 cm Fernando Botero is a Colombian artist who gave himself the title “most Colombian of Colombian artists.” Botero is primarily known for his portraits and for the exaggerated the proportions of his subjects. His ‘large people’, deemed obese by critics, are very...
Édouard Manet – Ham, Gruyère, and Moutarde Palmiers
Édouard Manet, The Ham, 1875, oil on canvas, 13 x 16 cm, The Glasgow Museum This is my third post to feature a still life by Édouard Manet. As with his still life A Bunch of Asparagus (1880), Manet pays very little attention to composition, and through the placement of the subject in the centre...
Vincent van Gogh – Lemon Poppy Seed Bread & Blueberry Honey Butter
Vincent van Gogh, Still Life: Red Poppies and Daisies (1890), oil on canvas, 65 x 50 cm, Private Collection The Post-Impressionist pioneer of Expressionism, Vincent van Gogh, suffered from mental illness which may have been due in part to his love of absinthe and lead poisoning (at that time all paints were lead based). In...
Cristoforo Munari – Milano Cookies
Cristoforo Munari, Still-life with Porcelain Vases, Flute, Books, and Oranges (1706-1713) The late-Baroque, Italian painter, Cristoforno Munari worked predominantly in still life. The standards of Baroque art were encouraged by the Roman Catholic church and embodied iconography and monarchy though an intensely precise handling of paint. Munari was an official court painter for the Medici...
Jeff Koons – Mostaccioli (a.k.a. Moustache) Cookies
Jeff Koons, Moustache (2003), wrought iron, coated steel chain, polychromed aluminum, 260.4 x 53.3 x 191.8 cm © 2009 Jeff Koons, Serpentine Gallery My inspiration this week is by the contemporary sculptor, Jeff Koons. His sculpture Moustache (2003) is from the Serpentine Gallery show Popeye Series which encompasses many of the common themes in his...
Severin Rosen – Strawberry BBQ Pulled Pork
Severin Rosen, Still Life with Strawberries (c. 1848-1870), oil on fabric, 40.6 x 50.8 cm, Private collection Severin Rosen was a German immigrant who is known as one of the major mid-19th-century American still life painters. Rosen’s work featured very similar subject matter, typically fruits, sometimes flowers, arranged on a tabletop with a dark background....
Diego Rivera – Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas
Diego Rivera, Woman Grinding Maize (1924)Encaustic on canvas, 106.7 x 121.9 cm, Museo Nacional de Arte, Mexico City Diego Rivera is the world famous Mexican muralist who was an active Communist and was married to Frida Kahlo. His giant frescoes often tell a story which is similar in tradition to the Mayan steles. The subjects...
Nora Heysen – Pavlova with Lemon Curd Blueberries
Nora Heysen, Eggs (1927), oil on canvas, 36.6 x 52.5 cm, New England Regional Art Museum Nora Heysen was the very first woman to win the Archibald Prize for portraiture and was the first woman in Australia to garner an official war artist appointment. She studied at the Central School of Art in London where...