During this tumultuous time, Studio Gallery provides a brief moment of lightheartedness filled with art to comfort the soul. I have compiled a couple of paintings that look oh-so-scrumptious, it will encourage you to indulge in a sweet treat, a spot of tea, or a feast! These artworks can be found in D.C., so once the museums and galleries open back up, add these to your must-see list.
Willem Claesz Heda, Banquet Piece with Mince Pie, 1635, oil on canvas, © National Gallery of Art.
We start our artsy-culinary journey at the National Gallery of Art in the West Building. Still-Life’s were one of the first styles of painting that put food scenes on display. The Dutch artists were still-life masters. My favorite scene is by Willem Claesz Heda, Banquet Piece with Mince Pie, 1635. At first glance, Heda’s painting looks life every other still-life - a crowded table covered with drinking vessels, food, and place settings. Upon further inspection, it is clear that the viewer is witnessing the aftermath of a sumptuous feast. On the central platter, where once the main entree stood, it now contains the remnants from the meal. Only a lemon slice, sauce, and a carcass remain. Oyster shells are scattered on the right side of the table; a glass has shattered; and on the far left, a candle has been snuffed-out. The white tablecloth linen is crinkled as a large glass goblet and pewter decanter lay on top of it. By using a neutral color palette, a variety of white, silvery-gray, bronzey-gold, and beige shades, it allows him the opportunity to showcase his artistic technique and high skill level. The lemon peel is delicately curled as it loosely hangs off the table; while the butter knife is so incredibly foreshortened, it is as if the viewer could grab it from the canvas.
Heda’s work can be summed up as a vanitas still-life. It hints at the transience of worldly existence; nothing lasts forever. The extinguished candle symbolizes just how quickly life can end. During the 1600s, vanitas still-life paintings urged viewers to contemplate the fragility of life and the futility of pleasure. It served as a reminder to prepare one’s moral conscience. With all of that being said, I would have loved to attend that dinner party!
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Luncheon of the Boating Party, 1880–81, oil on canvas © The Phillips Collection.
Exterior of La Maison Fournaise, a restaurant in Chatou (outside of Paris, France) that Renoir based Luncheon of the Boating Party on.
Words cannot express how much I love Pierre-Auguste Renoir - his brushstrokes, his color palettes, the scenes he captures - I am always floored. Hands down, he renders faces unlike any artist. There is such a softness in his figures that reminds me of Raphael, delicate yet flushed with life. I came across Luncheon of the Boating Party while I was meandering through The Phillips Collection one day. The jovial scene full of bright colors captivated my attention. I think I practiced my close-looking skills for a solid 20 twenty minutes - that is a long time to look at a single painting in silence! Here’s why:
The open-air deck at La Maison Fournaise, overlooking the Seine River, that inspired Renoir’s painting.
Luncheon of the Boating Party, 1880-81, depicts an idyllic atmosphere where Renoir and his friends share drinks, food, and good conversation. The scene takes place at La Maison Fouraise in Chatou, an open-air cafe on the Seine River. During the late 19th-century, art, specifically in France, focused on modernity. Urban culture grew and supplanted agrarian culture as industrialization and cities flourished. With this increase in technology came the luxury addition of leisure time. Almost every Parisian for the first time had Sunday’s off. To escape from the crowded and hustling-bustling Paris streets, city-dwellers, like Renoir and company, retreated to suburbs on the Seine River, such as La Maison Fouraise. In this painting, the viewer sees a mix of social classes, from businessmen and society women, to artists, critics, shopgirls, and seamstresses. Uniquely enough, all thirteen figures can be identified as real people Renoir painted - both his friends and his muses! The Phillips Collection does an excellent in-depth analysis of each person, stating their name, their occupation, and their relations to Renoir. Renoir and his future wife, Aline Charigot, are both in the painting; I challenge you to find them!
Similar to Heda, the viewer is witnessing the end of the meal. We do not know what exactly the artist and his friends indulged in; the plethora of grapes, fruit, and empty sherry glasses can only allude to so much. Perhaps that is what I like most about the piece. The meal brought friends together - a purpose to fulfill a need - and now the focus shifts toward simply enjoying each other’s company. They linger outside on a beautiful spring day, unwilling to let it end.
If you are as enthralled with this artwork as I am and ever in Paris, consider stopping by the restaurant that inspired it all! Over 140 years later, La Maison Fournaise still stands as if nothing has changed. The red and white striped canopy covers the open terrace, and occasionally boats pass by on the Seine River.
Nevertheless, in France or Washington, D.C., an afternoon or evening with friends and good food is time well spent!
From Staff Contributor Michele McDevitt