Art + Food...

I am a foodie - I love to purchase new ingredients, research recipes and cook and present all kinds of food. I read cookbooks like they are novels and binge watch food documentaries on Netflix. Through this casual research I have decided that food brings people together. The Museum of Food and Drink in Brooklyn, NY states on their website that "food is culture". You may be wondering what this has to do with art?

I found this book: The Museum of Modern Art Artists' cookbook: 155 recipes : Conversations with Thirty Contemporary Painters and Sculptors by Madeleine Conway. The book contains recipes from Salvador Dalí, Willem de Kooning, Louise Bourgeois, Andy Warhol, Helen Frankenthaler, Roy Lichtenstein, and Christo and Jeanne-Claude. I found this artist + food connection intriguing. I make meals because I have to eat and I choose to do it artfully - I am creative not just in art but in many parts of my life, especially food. 

It can be assumed that these artists lived creatively, and this included being artful in cooking. In a way, food is just another medium. I would like to study artists and the food they created in order to learn a different story about the artist. Did they enjoy cooking? Did they eat only to have energy to create? Did they create food similarly to creating art? Do they consider food/cooking art? There are so many cookbooks regarding artists and their food, recipes, handwritten notes and inspiration. Some include:

Dinner with Jackson Pollock by Robyn Lea

Les Diners de Gala by Salvador Dali

Frida's Fiestas by Guadalupe Rivera and Marie-Pierre Colle

Dinner with Georgia O'Keefe by Robyn Lea

I also found this list which includes books relating to artists and food: 

https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/artist-cookbooks-spring-2019-1554547

I thought about this a little more and compared making art to making food. Some art:food connections that I came up with include: materials:ingredients, palette:cutting board, canvas:plate, brushes/tools:knives/spatulas, composition:menu.

I also like to draw and paint food as a subject. Many artists draw and paint food in still life. Food is such an integral part of our existence and relatable to everyone. I think about this art:food connection and how it fits into art education. As a subject, it is a familiar one to students. Everyday food can be taken for granted - looking at food closely may inspire a new appreciation for food through art (color, texture, lines and pattern).