Image: Hydraulic Mill, Song-era China. Once upon a time the imperial power of China was reflected in its advanced technology to produce food. For this week’s art post about the world of food, we found this Song-era painting of a water mill. Some background is provided in this academic article. The JSTOR page provides a […]

Image: Qi Baishi, Three Longevities (Three Peaches). It is an annual ritual of anticipation whereby the first crops of summer in the farmers market create an appetite for the next ones. Asparagus brings thoughts of strawberries. Strawberries bring thoughts of peaches. We have yet to spot the peaches in person this year, but for our […]

Image: Zhou Dongqing, The Pleasures of the Fish (1291). This weekend’s art post is a close up of a fish that is part of a much larger scroll from Imperial China. It is inspired by an ancient script. The Pleasures of the Fish is by Zhou Dongqing and dates to the 13th century. It is […]

Image: Detail of Zhou Wenjing, Rustic Retreat among Fisherman (15th Century). For our Saturday art post we return to the theme for the year of where food comes from. We go back to Ming era China and the work of a court painter capturing a scene of working fishermen. This painting, Rustic Retreat among Fishermen, […]