The Art of Food
In the August 2017 issue of Cornwall Life magazine you can find an intriguing article on the art of food.
Chef Valerie Fabbretti and creative Sara Baistrocchi have been inspired by the art of John Dyer and his famous painting held at the Falmouth Art Gallery called 'Gateway to Cornwall'.
The art dinner live experience is being developed by this creative team and the article in Cornwall Life explores John Dyer's vibrant painting through the use of food and in particular a summer fruits tart.
"John Dyer has a natural inclination to simplicity and his works are all genuine and pure glimpses of a positive and colourful reality. At the same time he approaches every subject with great ingenuity and brio, creating elaborated and multiform pieces. His style is quite naïve, fresh and vibrant."
Valerie has taken these aspects of John Dyer's work and used it to inspire his latest culinary art dinner creation.
"To match these aspects of John Dyer's work and in particular the elements in the selected piece, Gateway to Cornwall, we have chosen a Summer Fruits Tart. There are many reasons for it. The first one is related to the variety and richness of colours in both, the tart and the painting. It is a connection that, although seems evident, it’s in fact not so obvious. The palette selections are actually quite different and the diversity of chromatic choices is clearly visible. In both we can find a great variety of colours though, all very lively and vibrant. This helps convey a radiant sense of movement, even more highlighted in the picture by the fireworks, the shape of the palm trees and the flowers, all things that contribute to create a sparkling and dynamic image."
"From a flavour point of view, the blueberries, strawberries and kiwi, although mainly sweet, have all a sour hint that is balanced in the Summer Fruits Tart by the luscious homemade custard and by the smooth sweetness of the banana slices and grapes. Texturewise the Tart is a complex and multifaceted combination of consistencies: there is the delicate but firm texture of the fruits, blended with the creaminess of the custard, all nestling over a crunchy but crumbly and friable shortbread base. This bottom layer is characterised, from a flavour point of view, by the smooth and buttery fragrance of the biscuit. It is a composite combination of textures and flavours, multi-layered and interesting, that makes the palate smile."
John Dyer says this about his work.
“Imagine if all the colour, if all the shapes, if all the emotion, if all the fun, if all the joy and if all the love you feel could be captured for a moment to remember for all time. This is the power of a painting. This is the power of a painting that captures what a place feels like.” John Dyer
Sara adds "This is exactly what a recipe does too, transposing the concept to a different sensory level: it is a combination of joy, enthusiasm and optimism for life translated into flavours."
If you would like to experience The Art Dinner live, adding the sense of hearing to it too, you can look out for the next Art Dinner night on the Falmouth Art Gallery website www.falmouthartgallery.com
Explore John Dyer’s work further at https://www.johndyergallery.com/
