Frida Kahlo – Roasted Chicken with Pumpkin Mole
I tasted my first authentic mole in Mexico City on a History of Art trip to study the art of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. With the vibrant paintings swirling through my head, I became completely intoxicated with mole poblano. From the Mexican word molli meaning ‘concoction,’ mole is commonly known in the combined form...
Johann Christian Berndt – Pear, Goat Cheese & Prosciutto Pizza
Johann Christian Berndt, Plate 21 (1809-1812), colour plate of pear varieties from Johann Ludwig Christ’s book, Vollständige pomologie, Royal Horticultural Society Johann Christian Berndt was a German copper engraver who worked in Frankfurt in the late-18th and early-19th century. He contributed to the botanical book Vollständige pomologie (Complete Pomology) by Johann Ludwig Christ. Pomology refers...
Frida Kahlo – Shellfish Ceviche
Ceviche is a seafood dish that originated on the Mexican coast. The seafood is marinated in citrus juices which pickle the meat and effectively cooks it without heat. The flavors are sweet and spicy with a hint of sour from the lime. Frida Kahlo, Still Life: Viva la vida y el Dr. Juan Farill (1953-54)Oil...
Frida Kahlo – Coconut Milk Ice Cream with Caramelized Papaya & Lime
Although Frida Kahlo is best known for her striking and emotionally revealing self portraits, she created about 40 still life paintings that provide just as much insight into her preoccupation with death and her overwhelming loneliness. Frida Kahlo, Lágrimas de coco (Coconut Tears) (1951), oil on masonite, 22.8 x 29.8 cm, LACMA Coconuts are a familiar...
Vincent Van Gogh – Holiday Lefse
In addition to decorating mountains of gingerbread and sugar cookies, a beloved Christmas tradition in my family was eating lefse on Christmas Eve. My Norwegian Great-grandmother would cook the thin potato pancakes every year in her tiny apartment on a piping hot griddle. As soon as the pancake was golden and toasted, we would slather...
Paul Signac – Roasted Vanilla Orange Juice
The period of art known as Pointallism was evolutionary due to the mathematical approach to colour and optics. The art up until the late 1880s was driven by the emotive qualities of colour and location. Pointallism marked a scientific foray into the arts similar to the complex perspecitval theories developed by Renaissance artists. The beauty...
Marian Drew – Berry & Lemon Cheese Pie with Lemon Butter Crust
In her beautifully composed photographs, Marian Drew includes the lifeless bodies of Australian fauna collected from the side of the road. The photographs represent a meeting of Europe and Australia through the insertion of wallabies, kangaroos, and possums into the still life tradition. The images assume a painterly tone achieved by long exposures and careful...
Soren Emil Carlsen – Spice-Rubbed Turkey with Cranberry BBQ Sauce
Soren Emil Carlsen, Thanksgiving Still Life (1891), oil on canvas, 117 x 106 cm, San Diego Museum of Art Soren Emil Carlsen was a Danish born artist who was heavily influenced by the work of Jean-Siméon Chardin. His paintings featured simple objects in muted tones. His limited palette produced moody canvases and he worked carefully...
Vincent van Gogh – Chipotle Sweet Potato Mash with Fresh Lime
The dark and dreary interior of Vincent van Gogh‘s The Potato Eaters (1885) is a stark juxtaposition to the colour and the flavor of the sweet potato mash. With Thanksgiving being such an important meal in the North American calendar, I felt it was appropriate to include a painting of a familial supper in this...
Louis Comfort Tiffany – Pumpkin Chipotle Tartelette with Beetroot Jam & Chevre
Louis Comfort Tiffany, Pumpkin and Beets window (c.1899-1900)leaded favrile glass, 114 x 142.9 cm, The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art Louis Comfort Tiffany was originally trained as a painter before pursuing the art of glassmaking in the late nineteenth century. He is linked with the Art Nouveau movement which embodies floral motifs with...
Julian Opie – Green Beans with Red Onion & Mustard Vinaigrette
Julian Opie, Still Life with Green Beans, Chilli Pepper and Carrots (2001)lambda print with laminated onto canvas, with a gloss seal, mounted on stretcher, 39 x 65 cm For fans of the band Blur, contemporary British artist Julian Opie is perhaps best known for the cover design of their ‘Best of’ album. His iconic and...
Andy Warhol – Upside-Down Banana Cake
Andy Warhol, Bananas (1978), polaroid photography, Paul Kasmin Gallery The Polaroid camera fit perfectly into Andy Warhol‘s artistic methods of mass production. Warhol began working with Polaroid cameras in the early 1960s and according to him “There is something about the camera that makes the person look just right” (1). Often if Warhol particularly liked...