Course Objectives:
- Examine methods for evaluating qualities of art, such as product versus process, the difference between craft and fine art, must art be archival, and what is an aesthetic reaction.
- Explore the notion of food as an artform.
- Consider cultural differences in the production and consumption food.
Artifact: Unit 04 Food As Art Research
I choose the article “Is Food Art? Chefs, Creativity, and the Restaurant Business?” that was written by Fabio Parasecoli who is associate professor and coordinator of food studies in New School, NYC. In this article, the author mainly discussed is food could be seen as art. Parasecoli founds two aspects of the connection between food and art. Firstly, he thought both of cooking and creating art need innovation and creativity. The second point is about avant-garde which means pioneers and new. In addition, he also compared the relationship between art-donors and chefs-investors.
There are some similar arguments between Parasecoli and Telfer. Both of them believe that food could be considered as art. Parasecoli think innovation and creativity are important to chefs and these two feature also is significant for artists. As Parasecoli stated, “innovation and creativity are included among the traits that are most commonly attributed to a successful chef in the highest spheres of haute cuisine” (Parasecoli 2013). Parasecoli think chefs not only is artist, “they are expected to offer patrons (and critics) dishes and menus that stimulate and surprise them, find new methods to manipulate ingredients, and interact with technology and design in ways that keep them on the cutting edge and ensure coverage from the press, TV, and the Internet” (Parasecoli 2013). There is a similar argument in Telfer’s article, “many meals are intended by their cooks to be considered largely in this way- to be savoured, appraised, thought about, discussed-and many eaters consider them in this way” (Telfer 14). Both of them realized that cookers take aesthetic consideration into foods.
In addition, Parasecoli pointed out that some chefs and restaurants in term of avant-garde in the public. This characteristic also is very similar to art because art and artist always make people feel fashionable, pioneer, uncommon and new. He quote the definition of avant-garde from the dictionary to show it is relative to art. There are two definitions from two dictionaries, one is “an intelligentsia that develops new or experimental concepts esp. in the arts” and another is “the pioneers or innovators in any art in a particular period”. Both of them mentioned art in the definition (Parasecoli 2013). Then Parasecoli mentioned the cookbook, “Some chefs — or groups of chefs — actually express their visions and their goals in cookbook introductions, interviews, or Internet profiles that are similar in intention and tone to the manifestos of the avant-garde movements of the past” (Parasecoli 2013). In contrast, Telfer mentioned the recipe, “recipes are sometime treated as works of art, of a kind analogous to musical compositions. The cook who creates such a recipe is a creative artist” (Telfer 16).
Parasecoli also mentioned the relationship between food business model and art business model. As he stated, “New artists are often helped by donors, but their careers really take off when their work starts carrying conspicuous price tags determined by intricate market dynamics”, in contrast, “Chefs can count on their clients to keep their establishment full, but they depend much more directly on investors” (Parasecoli 2013). This point is from the business perspective and Telfer treat the problem of art and food is in art perspective.
Overall, both of Parasecoli and Telfer believe that food could be considered as art and their argument have much connection. Whatever, for the problem of art, everyone could have unique opinion because there is no regular standard for art.
Reflection:
This picture shows an example of food art. The apple was made like butterfly.
There is a really interesting topic in this week, which discussed if food is art. In my opinion, food could be seen as art. This week’s artifacts help me to study how to examine methods for evaluating qualities of art, such as product versus process, the difference between craft and fine art, must art be archival, and what is an aesthetic reaction. I think food have the feature of visual art and the consideration of aesthetics.
The article that I found in the artifact, “Is Food Art? Chefs, Creativity, and the Restaurant Business?” also argued food is art and it expand my notion of food as an art form. The author Parasecoli mentioned the creativity of food and I never think about this aspect before. Both of cooking and creating art need creativity. In addition, Parasecoli think both of food and art are the avant0-garder which means new and pioneers. This perspective also make me feeling interesting and it is helpful fot me to explore the notion of food as art form.
Future Intentions:
I will take aesthetics consideration when I eating foods and I also will observe foods in the eyes of visual art in the future. I have to eat foods everyday so I can observe many kinds of food in my future life.
References:
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