A little taste of history, one morsel at a time.
Today on Museum Quick Bites we’re sinking our teeth into some comfort food with a dash of Dutch flavor. Pieter Claesz’s Still Life with a Pie, Sweetmeats, and Wine Glasses (c1625) beckons us to grab a plate and indulge. Lemons, olives, nuts, a crusty loaf of bread, and a meat pie—its citrusy filling tumbling out—are so exquisitely realistic, it looks as if you could reach in and gobble them up.
Dear Readers – Today on Museum Quick Bites we’re taking comfort in music with an angelic twist. Musical Angel (1521) by Rosso Fiorentino (aka Giovanni Battista di Jacopo; 1494-1540) features a cherub dreamily plucking a lute. From his rosy fingertips to his fiery red curls this sleepy-eyed angel appears lulled by the music, and in turn, the painting lulls us.
Dear Readers –Today on Museum Quick Bites, we’re continuing to seek out comfort, this time through dance. Bacchante with Infant Faun (1894) by Frederick W. MacMonnies (1863-1937) features a young woman kicking up her heels in a lively dance. She is a bacchante, a follower of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, symbolized by the grapes clutched in her right hand. A baby faun, a mythical creature that is half human and half goat, is cradled in her left arm. The infant stares hungrily at the grapes, unfazed by the bacchante’s exuberance. Together, the two are a blend of joy and yearning.
Dear Readers – I hope you are well and adjusting to our new version of normal. This week’s Museum Quick Bite is all about getting outside. In this new phase of social distancing and sheltering in place, now more than ever we need a dose of outside time whether that means going for a walk, sipping cocktails on the patio, or feasting our eyes on some gorgeous outdoor art, like Norwegian painter, Thomas Fearnley’s (1802-1842) Pergola with Oranges (c1834)…
Museum Bites 