While still life art can encompass any set or collection of inanimate objects, I tend to associate the genre with 17th and 18th century paintings depicting tables or benches loaded with an abundance of foodstuffs. These paintings offer fascinating social history snapshots; being both literal depictions of the types of food available (if only to the rich), and loaded with symbolic allusions to gluttony, intemperance and the transience of luxury.
Food production and consumption exists in a social and economic context. Scarcity, quality, nutrition, price — these are all part of a food narrative that can be explored in art.
In New Zealand, as in much of the world, the prevailing narrative is one of over-abundance. Or at least an over-abundance of calories — mainly derived from highly processed, readily available “convenience” foods. In his highly influential book In Defence of Food, Michael Pollan calls these “edible food-like substances”.
The Daily Post Photo Challenge asked this week for life imitating art. So I give you a still life from 2016, with all the symbolism and allegory of the genre. I also give you this, again from Michael Pollan:
“If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t. ”
― Michael Pollan
Hehe, stuff imitating food. Ordered the book, it’s incoming.
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It’s a fantastic book. One of the most influential on my life. One of the first things that resonated with me (and probably inspired this post is: “Don’t eat anything your great grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food. When you pick up that box of portable yogurt tubes, or eat something with 15 ingredients you can’t pronounce, ask yourself, ‘What are those things doing there?'”
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Haha, yes, my grandma was very suspicious of yogurts. 😀 Looking forward to reading it!
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This is wonderful. Only one thing missing, if any of these edible food like substances were to be found in a teenager’s bedroom, there would need to be a touch of mould. Although a lot of this type of food takes a very long time to generate any decay.
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Hehe. So true. One of Pollan’s eating “rules” is never to eat anything that won’t eventually rot (except honey). I remember seeing on TV once a piece about a 15 year old hamburger from a famous global chain which shall remain Mcnameless. It looked pretty much like a new one. That was scary.
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Powerful image, especially as it evokes those old still lifes of fruit, cheese, and wine. Sad comparison!
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Thanks Amy. I love those old paintings with the luscious fruits usually in the foreground. I couldn’t believe my luck when I found fruit-shaped sweets to replace them with!
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Su, I love this. You hit the ball out of the park and have me laughing to start my day.
janet
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Thanks Janet. I’m glad you liked it.
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Michael Pollan is a wise man! Great response to life imitating art.
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Hi Julie. Thanks; he’s one of my food heroes.
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Once again, you have been brilliantly clever! I love your twist on this challenge.
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Thank you so much Anabel 🙂
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Just brilliant, Su – the image, your commentary, the quotes.
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Thanks Tish. I had such fun with this, from the eye-opening trip to the supermarket to the jury-rigged backdrop. Sadly, I’m left with a pile of “food-like substances” that even my teenage my boy-child won’t eat.
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Clever you!
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Thanks 🙂
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I love your clever and creative take on this challenge 😀
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Thank you Joanne 🙂
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Such a wonderful image. And I love your commentary as well. It really does depict the lifestyle of the 21st century.
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Thanks Raewyn. Sadly, these things were only a tiny fraction of stuff sold on supermarket shelves as “food.” And of course, many are much cheaper than whole food, and so force low-income shoppers into a diet that lacks nutrition and makes large companies rich at the expense of actual food producers.
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This is fantastic! A spoof so wonderfully photographed!
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Thank you so much Angeline.
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I LOVE that last quote!
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Me too. Says it all really.
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Very clever and interesting response. Did you eat it afterwards? 🙂
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I have a sneaking fondness for the Chesdale slices and the Terry’s Chocolate Oranges are tucked away for future reference. Hubby had some of the peaches for breakfast and my son hoovered up the sweets. The rest — even the teenager couldn’t really face.
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Artful arrangement of stuff that makes me cringe. Life imitating art, indeed. I’ve found that the other nice thing about eating real food, mostly plants, is that I don’t have to worry about weight. I also get sick less.
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Yes; food is meant to sustain us, not make us sick. I’m starting to feel that, as a species, we’ve lost our way a bit. I feel like an evangelical every time I open my mouth about my garden, or my foraged plums from the park at the end of my street. The crazy green lady 🙂
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Brilliant response to the challenge. And a great quote.
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Thanks Inese 🙂
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I am so very much in love with this post, I could hug it. Seriously though, this was highly imaginative and rich without being too cloying–like sticky buns. Excellent visual food for thought.
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Thanks so much. I had such fun staging the shot. Then my son (who works as a merchandising photographer) came home and admired my work. The child becomes the parent for a moment and it felt good.
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Brilliantly composed,a great piece of contemporary Still Life photography nicely connected with the old roots of Still Life paintings.Thanks for introducing us to such a book,If I judge from the quote,it must be very interesting.Hugs to you,Su dear friend 🙂 xxx
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Thank you so much Doda. It is a wonderful book; one I re-read to remind myself of the importance of staying connected to our Earth. Best wishes to you my friend. xx
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Thank you for this.
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Remove it now … xxx
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Done!
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🙂 xxx
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Book ordered and incoming, together with Omnivore’s Dilemma 🙂
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I haven’t read The Omnivore’s Dilemma. I’d be interested to know what you think about it.
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Great interpretation Su- this does echo the Dutch still life paintings with a cheeky twist- 😉
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Thanks Meg. I have to say, I learned about Stackables from your blog and it’s proving brilliant as a way of getting the effects I’m looking for — so thanks for that too.
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Interesting. I did a peice on still life before was so much fun! And I miss it. Acrylics and oil pastels or just pencil.
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This is awesome – thanks for sharing the link. If only the classic painters lived today, they would have so many more potential subjects for their still life paintings.
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Oh yes!! 😀
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