Image: Claude Monet, Grainstacks, Snow Effect (1891).

For the last three years we have been using Saturdays to post about art, with a focus on art related to food.  In 2020, we tended toward still lifes.  In 2021, we searched out images of feasts and communal dining.  In 2022, our theme will be the roots of food.  Images that convey the sources of our diet.  To start the series and the year, we choose an iconic painting.

Claude Monet actually painted over two dozen haystack pieces from 1890 to 1891.  This one is from 1891 and is located in the Shelburne Museum in Vermont (though it is not on their website).  The Met has one that strangely remains a protected image (perhaps the photography is?).  Monet was fascinated by the play of snow and light.  He was frustrated by the short days in winter which gave him less time to work – something we can identify with.  According to the National Galleries of Scotland, which also has one in its collection, Monet persuaded a farmer near his home in Giverny to leave the stacks in place through the mild winter of 1890 so he could paint them.

Though in English they are referred to as haystacks, in French the title was Les Meules à Giverny or simply stacks.  In fact, they are likely wheat or another grain for making bread and not hay.

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We are now on the prowl for content to fill out the next year, hopefully able to choose works that match the season.  We are also updating the rest of the site, which we like to think of as the best way to find a great place to eat in Washington, D.C.  The dining world is topsy-turvy right now, but if you are looking for a place to either dine in or take out, be sure to check out our dining guide to the District.

We have 300 recommended restaurants in our dining 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.

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