Image: Alex Katz, Blueberry Field (1955).
For our weekly art post we return to the theme of where food comes from. Consistent with the season, we have found a painting of a blueberry field.
The painting is by Alex Katz, a notable post-war American artist. Katz was born in 1927, and amazingly lived to see a major exhibit of his in 2017. The Cleveland Museum of Art, one of the participating museums, describes Katz’s work from this era: “Creating work at a time when abstract painting dominated the art scene, Katz forged an ingenious way to wed abstraction with recognizable imagery by paring down his compositions to their most fundamental elements. In retrospect, these works prefigured the subsequent development of Pop Art.” The exhibit was organized by Colby College Museum of Art, with which Katz has a long-standing relationship. This painting appears to be in the artist’s personal collection. If you are truly interested, Katz is represented by the Gladstone Gallery.
This piece is admittedly not easily identifiable as a work about blueberries. Its abstract nature means it is barely recognizable as a field. But it highlights one of the wonders of nature. While the fruit arrives at market a deep purplish blue, fields of blueberries can be a brilliant red.
###
If you are looking to dine out in D.C. and sample the bounty of the season, we can help with that! When we are not posting about art we are a dining guide for the District. We have 300+ recommended restaurants in the guide, that you can sort by cuisine, neighborhood, and current operating status (dine-in and/or take-out, etc.) in either LIST or MAP format. Though operating status is changing day-to-day, so be sure to double-check.
To ensure you don’t miss out on our postings about either art or food, then please give us a follow. We are on FB, Insta, and Twitter. Click on the icons at the top or bottom of this page to stay up to date.