Eating with Your Eyes

From canvas to plate: the history of art told through gastronomy.
An orange in a still life can tell the story of a geopolitical conflict, while the image of a glass of wine can serve as a gateway to a world of ancient symbolic meanings. The depiction of a bowl of soup can reveal an entire world, a cosmogony, a way of life.
Gastronomy has permeated the entire history of art. What we eat and how we eat it speaks volumes about us, just like the dishes, ingredients and utensils we find in paintings, or the fact that a chef wears a white jacket, a striped apron or a black T-shirt. Our history and culture are reflected in these details, just as they were in other times and places, where food, drink and the ways people came together around the table were always present, imbued with the power to tell stories.