Art and Appetite
Art and food are two mediums that dovetail better than most any other cultural entities, so it’s apropos that they’re the co-stars of the show at The Art Institute of Chicago’s new Art and Appetite exhibit. Running now through January 27, 2014 in the Regenstein Hall, the lavish exhibition depicts vivid art pieces that span 250 years in American history, showing the trajectory of dining in various times and places. Through 100 paintings, sculptures, and decorations, Art and Appetite goes to show how food has played muse for so many artists over the centuries, and just how vital it has been as part of our American identity.
Through food and art, elements of politics, gender roles, and regional traditions are explored, from the meager Depression era to the boom of cocktail culture and much more. Divvied into 10 different galleries, the exhibit takes guests on a tour of food as expressed through vivid visual arts, timeworn cookbooks, tea pots, and a variety of other pieces. The first gallery concentrates on Thanksgiving, depicting the preeminent American feast over the years. Gallery two explores Horticulture in the Early Republic, brimming with the types of flora and fruits popular during the Colonial Era. World Markets take the stage in gallery three, showcasing exotic imports such as spirits, fruits, and porcelain that poured into America in the early Republic. Gallery four celebrates convivial pastimes such as Parties, Picnics, and Feasts, with a heavy focus on large family gatherings amassed around tables full of food. Antebellum Abundance and the Dining Room is the focal point of gallery five, recalling the rise of dining etiquette, specialized silverware, and plenty of pomp and circumstance. This gallery spills over into the next room, concentrating on Temperate Drinking. Gallery six is all about Modest Meals in the Gilded Age, while gallery seven progresses to Trompe l’Oeil Painting and Politics, an homage to the still life style of paintings popularized in 1880 Philadelphia. Restaurants first come into the picture in gallery 8A, spotlighting Dining Out at the Turn of the Twentieth Century, then 8B delves into Modernity and Cocktail Culture. Changing Times: Modernity in Food and Art is held in gallery 9, a showroom for the period in time post-World War I when artists sought to depict American dining in a new light. The exhibit wraps up in gallery 10. Here, it’s all about Pop Art: Mass Consumption and the Production of Pop Art.
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