Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/40669
play in your free time Art Throb Food as art by Pete Lundberg August greetings! As you bite into delicious vine-ripened tomatoes this month, it's fun to note how food has been portrayed in art. Paintings and frescos of the past give us in- sight into what types of food were available. In ancient Egyptian times, still lifes of food were placed in tombs with the belief that the painted fruits and vegetables would be- come real in the afterlife. Centuries later in the Roman world, still lifes became deco- ration, adorning both palaces and modest homes alike. In the 16th century, the exploration of the world brought fascinating new species of fruits, vegetables and flowers to consum- ers, and the practice of still life painting exploded. Precise botanical depictions satisfied scientific need, while other art- ists captured everyday food for patrons looking to adorn their increasingly spa- cious homes. In the centuries following, European painters brought new realism to canvases. Caravaggio's finely painted and life-like canvases gave way to a whole school of still life painters. They, in turn, influenced the impressionist masters a few centuries later when artists like Van Gogh and Gauguin created magnificent works with vibrant colors and broad, bold brush- strokes. There is every sign of increasing popu- larity of the still life—after all, we are a na- tion obsessed by food. Perhaps some of us might do better putting more food on our walls than on our plates! Pete Lundberg is not only an art lover but owner of Janus Galleries in Madison. Visit the gallery for a special still life exhibition this month! Book Club Bossypants By Tina Fey Comic superstar Tina Fey turns her acute observations and sarcasm inward, finding hilarity in her journey from humble beginnings to stardom. Laughter is guaranteed. Published by Reagan Arthur Books, $27 If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't) By Betty White Though her career spans seven decades, actress Betty White takes a hilarious look at the last 15, examining aging, television and even her beauty regimen with razor-sharp wit. Published by Putnam, $26 Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me By Chelsea's Family, Friends, and Other Victims Comedian Chelsea Handler's tall tales are detailed by those who fell victim to the slightly inappropriate but hugely funny star's sense of humor. You won't be able to keep a straight face. Published By Borderline Amazing Publishing, $25 How Did You Get This Number By Sloane Crosley Famed for her snarky style, writer Sloane Crosley chronicles her misad- ventures around the globe, letting us laugh with her as everything falls apart. Published by Riverhead Trade Paperback, $15 Laugh until you cry with these light-hearted reads Top: In one of the earliest still lifes from Pompeii, circa 70 A.D., we are able to see the types of food on the ancient Romans' table, along with their glass blowing skills. Above: Claude Monet excelled at creating an amazingly vibrant painting with few brushstrokes. Painted in 1864, this oil hangs in the Musee d' Orsay in Paris. An amazingly talented photo-realist still life painter, YQ Wang creates postcard-size works that are so detailed that you might reach out to eat them. See his latest collection this month at Janus Galleries. Happening this month: For the artistically minded: Learn to throw a pot in true artistic fashion with a new session of beginner classes starting August 1 at Higher Fire Clay Studio; higherfireclaystudio.com. For the bibliophile: Meet Madison-based author Erin Celello at A Room of One's Own bookstore on August 7 and preview her much-anticipated (and newly released) novel, "Miracle Beach," a story of a woman coping with loneliness, loss and her husband's hidden past; roomofonesown.com. 70 BRAVA Magazine August 2011