There is so much going on here, not only in this painting, but in this painting’s title: The Contest for the Bouquet: The Family of Robert Gordon in Their New York Dining-Room. Robert Gordon was a banker, merchant, and art…
inspiration
Spring – A Poem
The Met descibes Spring as Cephas Giovanni Thompson’s finest work. He also has a companion piece, entitled Autumn. Thompson’s Spring portrait is a misty romantic and sentimental piece, which got me thinking romantically, and sentimentally. It seems to me the…
Apples – A Poem
The form I’ve chosen here is ars poetica, essentially a poem about writing poems. I thought it apt, because when I think “apple”, I don’t just think of one. I think of many, just as Matisse has painted. And so,…
Life According to Vegetables – A Poem
The Peales were a family of artists, agriculturalists and scientists. James Peale was the brother of Charles Willson Peale, whose sons were also artists, agriculturalists etc, one of whom, Raphaelle, I’ve written about previously. At first glance, the colours, and…
Costumed Woman with Vegetables – A Poem
No one knows who painted this watercolour. It was first thought to be a Franco-Spanish artist, but then the piece was recognised as having British provenance. It’s possible even the monogram is a deception. This costumed woman with vegetables remains…
So You Think I’ve Stopped Writing Recipes?
This website started as a way to record my favourite recipes for my daughter. Lately, all I’ve been uploading is poem after poem after poem. Google thinks my website is only about food, and, technically, it still is. My poetry…
Nightcap – A Poem
There’s something cheeky about this trompe l’oeil painting, that seems to suggest someone’s raided the pantry for a little nightcap. From the Art Institute Chicago description: “In Just Dessert, the exotic clashes with the quotidian—Maraschino liqueur, half a coconut, and Smyrna figs…
Nini in the Garden – A Poem
This painting is of Nini Lopez in the garden next to Renoir’s Montmatre studio in Paris at 12 rue Cortot. Nini was one of Renoir’s favourite models, appearing in several of Renoir’s rue Cortot garden paintings, as well as other…
Masquerade Ball at the Ritz – A Poem
If you click on the source link in the caption below, you’ll get a chance to see this incredibly detailed painting up close. Madrazo painted many scenes of Parisian nightlife in the late 19th and early 20th century, always with…
Kluski with Onions and Bacon- A Poem
Kluski (pronounced klooh-ski, with a short “oo” as in book) are a dumpling, and were one of my favourite dishes. My mother mixed the dough; then would scoop the mixture with a tablespoon and simply slip it, from the spoon,…
The Lithograph Artist and Van Gogh – A Poem
This poem began as a very simple response only to Marsden Hartley’s fruit bowl, and then, somehow, grew into a sparring match with Vincent van Gogh. Who won? The Lithograph Artist and Van Gogh (i)I draw my images directly on…
The Kitchen Servants – A Poem
There’s more going on in this painting than at first appears. From The Met description: “Sorgh inflects a domestic scene with the art of still life. Two maids clean fish and peel vegetables in the foreground, surrounded by gleaming brass…
