February, 2020 - Of Art and Wine

The Portrait, Ancient to Modern, and Sémillon Wine.

Queen Nefertari, Queen, 1st Royal Wife, Consort, and Favorite, the One for Whom the Sun Shines. Egypt c. 1250 B.C.E., Reign of Ramses II.

Humans all long to be seen, to be known, to be remembered in some way. That was true even of the caveman who, when finished painting wild and wonderful animals, purposedly left his handprint on the grotto wall he had just painted. Unfortunately for most of us throughout our many earthly lives (reincarnation, anyone?), it took being someone very important to have our image captured for posterity. The lady above was one such person. Her name was Nefertari, or “Beautiful Companion,” which is what she was to one of Ancient Egypt’s most powerful rulers, Ramses II. He provided one of the most elaborate tombs in the Valley of the Queens (QV66) for her, his Queen for some 25 years. The tomb is filled with images of the gods and Nefertari. British archeologist Joanne Fletcher seems to think that Nefertari made the tomb about herself after living so long with an ego-maniac like Ramses. However, others point out that it was Ramses who had the tomb constructed and decorated. That might indicate that his focus was on preserving the memory of his beautiful companion and not for once on his own image.

When considering the images of the queen as art, the rules of Ancient Egyptian art were rather strict. The body was shown with the upper body facing forward, while the lower body was in profile. The shoulders twisted so that the arms were in profile, and most importantly the face was shown in profile, but with the eye as though seen face on. Naturally queens were dressed always in the finest gowns and headdresses, and that is no different here. What is a bit different is how the artists of the time distinquished Nefertari from other queens and even representations of the goddess Hathor. The differences are subtle, but in her facial portraits, Nefertari’s nose has a slight downward turn to it. Her neck shows a few creases, and most often she is wearing what appears to be a white earring. It was their artists’ way of representing silver, a rarity in Egypt, a land of gold. Ramses built his queen a House of Eternity filled with portraits of her to forever keep her memory, and the artists made those little allowable distinctions so that one would always recognize her.

Fun adventure: An international group of artists and art historians have created a special project: The Tomb of Nefertari 3d-Reconstruction. You can click here to take the virtual visit youtube.com

Justinian and Theodora, rulers of the Byzantine Empire. Mosaic portraits from the Church of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, c. 547 A.D.

Unlike the Egyptians who made painted portraits, the Romans established the tradition of “saying it in stone,” which meant mosaic. That carried forward into their eastern empire known as Byzantium. These mosaic portraits, though, show a stylization that one does not see in ancient sculpted portraits which strove for realism (Roman) or idealism (Greek). There are individual characteristics, like Justinian’s moustache and double chin, but the stylistic traits are dominant. The figures are fully frontal and the faces have exceptionally large eyes. Interestingly, Justinian’s eyes stare out at us in a stern, firm gaze. He is the Emperor after all. Theodora on the other hand has eyes that seem a bit unfocused as though she is dreaming or scheming. Of course, it was one of her schemes that saved his skin and his throne, but I will let you all look that one up.

In terms of the Middle Ages, suffice it to say that the portraits of the kings all looked alike. They wore a hair bob that ended at the chin with a roll of curls on either side. One knows it is a king because they all wear a generic crown. Simply put, it was “This is the king. Got it?” The fellow represented here is King Jean II of France, known as Jean le Bon (John the Good). He spent a lot of time in captivity in England which might account for his scruffy look, though this painting was done c. 1350 at the beginning of his reign. It is considered to be the first attempt at portraying a realistic portrait of a European monarch.

Certainly when we look at the scraggly beard and the rather unkempt hair, he does not look particularly kingly, even though he does have a rather dominant nose, not unknown among the French. Oh well, the Hundred Years War was tough on everyone. Notice here the profile once again. Many paintings from this time and into the Renaissance were done from profiles of the monarch or ruler as seen on coinage. Such for example was Pontormo’s 16th century portrait of Cosimo de Medici, the Elder, who died in 1464. The portrait was done all those years later from a profile on a coin minted in Florence during Cosimo’s time in power.

However, time marches on and so does painting and portraiture. Below are three great pieces of portraiture done in the 15th century, 16th century and 17th century.

Van Eyck Man in Red Turban, 1433 da Vinci Mona Lisa c. 1503-1519, Vermeer Girl with a Pearl Earring, 1665

What happened? Well, the first painting is the product of what is known as the Northern Renaissance. The artist is Jan Van Eyck, yes, he of the Ghent Altarpiece, and this may actually be a self-portrait. The wonderful realism comes from his great talent, his use of oil paints, and quite possibly the use of lenses to project and magnify. The paintings of the Flemish painters of this time are remarkable for their realism and prefigure the High Renaissance in Italy because of the use of oil paints, which arrived in Italy through Venice around 1475.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa may have been the portrait of the wife of a rich merchant named Giogonda or an image of the idealized mother painted for a scion of the Medici family whose illegitimate son’s mother had died in childbirth. The father wanted Leonardo to create a mother image for the child to gaze upon. Whatever the story, Leonardo never delivered the painting, but carried it with him to France, where it now resides in the Louvre, under heavy protection. While there is much to do about her smile, when one looks at the real painting (I have been lucky enough to stand within a few feet of it before the new security came into place), one is impressed with the softness of the hands which look like you could touch them and feel their warmth.

Finally Vermeer’s famous Girl with a Pearl Earring, which is fast becoming the new Mona Lisa, seems almost photographic as it catches the girl in mid-movement. The pose is one of a natural movement of the body; her lips are slightly parted as if about to speak; and the black background brings her forward into our space as we wait to hear what she is going to say.

One thing to note about those portraits is the democratization of portraiture. None of those beautiful pieces is of a king or queen. The girl in Vermeer’s piece might even have been a servant if not one of his daughters. Yet the focus is clearly on capturing the image, especially in those days before photography.

Then along came Picasso. Well, not immediately, but we have to move along. While one at once thinks of frighteningly deconstructed images of women with eyes, ears, mouth and nose not in any normal place, the old man had a bit of poetry in his soul. (He was in his 60s when he met Françoise Gilot pictured here, 1946.) He could capture the wistfulness in her expression amplified by the Medusa-like swirls of the strands of her curly hair.

In the fine tradition of Van Eyck’s red-turbaned man with the penetrating eyes and Vermeer’s mysterious girl, capturing expression comes to the fore, especially after photography arrives. It was no longer just about making the likeness of the sitter and their fine and distinquished clothing, jewels, etc. The sitters were no longer just nobility or wealthy patrons. The ordinary person could be posed in any setting and attention to expression made up for the regal poses and the details of fancy clothes.

The portrait below is of an artists’ model, Sarie. Take a good look at her, and tell me, if you can, what she is concentrating on. What object or activity has caught the flicker of light in her eye? What would be her determination about what she sees? And what would make her smile?

The artist, Rita Scafidi, in rapid strokes of oil paint, captures a view of the model’s face from an angle that she, the artist, chose to view the general pose. That choice emphasizes the role of compostion in the creation of a fascinating image. Scafidi uses a limited palette of browns, rose-pink, violet, pale blue, and the white of the canvas. She works the color combinations to play off of one another. The structure of the face is formed by the mixture of pink, violet and a touch of brown to provide the appropriate shadows and definition. The white of the canvas remains in strategic places, indicating the bright light shown on the face which lightens the forehead and the nose, and softly allows the right side of the face to fade into that light. What remains is the right eye, which, though softer in appearance than the left eye, is no less focused.

The side of the face that disappears is bordered in a soft way by the pinkish background, a color relating to the shadow side of the face. The dark hair provides a contrast and leads us once again to the eyes and brows. The tiny dash of pink at the top of the nose matches one on the lower lip, helping the eye move down the face. Masterfully, the pale blue that is in the left corner of the background appears also as a tiny touch in the corner of the left eye, and the hair has a few bits of that rosy violet found in the shadows of the cheek. Tiny things, but each one works in coordination with the others to make the portrait emerge from the pale background.

Rita Scafidi works her wonders in paint weekly in life drawing studios. But that is not all. She is also dedicated to helping people learn to draw, saying to her students that everyone can draw. For more of her lessons just go to her youtube channel, handily named Rita, youtube.com.

Paintings are either in Public Domain, or used in accordance with Fair Use Policy for purposes of review and critique. Scafidi’s work is used with her permission.

Marjorie Vernelle is an artist, writer, college professor, and traveler. For more see the Pages at ofartandwine.com or her author page at amazon.com and her art at Vernelle Art Boutique vernellestudio.com.

Sémillon, a grape of unclear origins and delicious wine.

Sémillon grapes on the vine. Photo from Vin de Bordeaux from www.bordeaux.com

Okay, so you have never heard of Sémillon grapes or the wines made from them. Don’t feel bad. They are something of an insiders’ variety, even though the grapes are grown and wines made in France, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, South Africa and Washington State. Sémillon is France’s third most popular white wine. That alone tells us it is time to get to know about this luscious golden grape.

True its origins are unclear. It seems genetically related to the Sauvignon Blanc grape, one that it is frequently mixed with to make various blends of Bordeaux. However, it cannot be said that the two grapes come from the same source. There is a wild tale of it being related to the Merwah grape, a reddish purple grape which comes from Lebanon. However, no one knows how that one would have gotten to southwestern France (the Crusades?), nor why its genetics don’t match as well as do the ones from Sauvignon Blanc. The final verdict is that the 72% of these grapes are grown in France near the Gironde river in the area known as Bordeaux. It is suspected that the name comes from a quick pronunciation of Saint Emillion, a town in the area.

Glass of Sémillon Note the golden color.

The most celebrated ones are grown in cool climates like Bordeaux, the Hunter Valley in Australia, and Washington State. Those areas produce a wine that is crisp and fresh like Sauvignon Blanc. However, if it is oaked, the flavor is more creamy or buttery, with hints of apple, pear, and lemon. The oaking brings out a flavor more like an oaked Chardonnay. The fact that is has a medium to full body makes it a good blending ingredient in the making of Bordeaux wines, especially White Bordeaux (by the way, that goes swell with sushi).

Ah yes, food. Sémillon is rather food friendly. It goes quite well with a lovely cheese platter like the one pictured here. It works well also with white meats, and all types of fish, including shellfish. It compliments and stands up well to lightly spiced Indian and Asian food, as well as grilled or roasted vegetables. For those of you who have a soft spot for fois gras, the sweet dessert versions of Sémillon are a perfect match.

Pourriture Noble, ah the French have a name for everything.

When speaking of dessert wines, Sémillon comes into its own. It is a primary ingredient in many Sauternes and often carries that taste of apple, pear and lemon as hints of candied fruits. With age, it can have notes of spice, dried fruits, and honey. Why this grape is so useful in making dessert wines comes from its tendency to get a type of rot, botrytis, which comes from a fungus. Vintners over the centuries of course learn to use every iteration of the grape, and here that rot has taken on the poetic name pourriture noble or “noble rot.” It is that rot that adds to the sweetness of the grape, making it perfect for a dessert wine.

So now you know about a different wine, one not too commonly spoken of. If you want more detailed information, I turn you over to Jancis Robinson at www.jancisrobinson.com, who can take you through a more complete look at this grape. In terms of tasting the wine, you might want to try a wine club like Cellars Wine Club’s West Coast Wine Club, which has selections from Washington state, where Sémillon is produced here in the U.S. You can look that up on the page in the right hand column or go directly to cellarswineclub.com.

So now you can go to Rita Scafidi’s youtube channel and take a painting lesson while you treat your taste buds to a glass of Sémillon or even Sémillon-Sauvignon. An embarrassment of riches, indeed.

Paintings used are in public domain, except for the portrait by Scafidi which is used with the artist’s permission. Photos of wine are from free stock photos or linked to a specific website.

Of Art and Wine affiliates with Bluehost.com and CellarsWineClub.com and may earn from qualifying purchases.

©marjorie vernelle 2020

Coming next on Of Art and Wine:Did Juan de Pareja lead a double life? Tempranillo!

Self portrait of Diego Velazquez from Las Meninas, 1656, and Velazquez’ portrati of Juan de Pareja, 1650.

Diego Rodriquez de Silva y Vélasquez (1599 – 1660) is one of Spain’s most famous painters. His self-portrait above is from his masterpiece Las Meninas (1656), a painting of the young Princess Marguerita and members of the court. It is probably his most well-known painting. However, the portrait he did of his slave, Juan de Pareja (1650) was deemed to be beyond painting, rather more a portrait of truth. Such was the acclaim that in 1654, Vélasquez emancipated Juan de Pareja, who lived on in Madrid as a painter, himself. Come find out about this interesting tale and about the famous Spanish wine-producting region, La Rioja.

Still Life, Chardin, and Merlot

**Still Life with Plums by Jean Baptiste Siméon Chardin, 1730**

“I must forget everything I have seen and even forget the way such objects have been treated by others.” Chardin

Sometimes, heroism comes in almost undetected ways. The 18th century was known for its over-the-top, heavily designed, and embellished work in a rather aristocratic style known as Rococo. Serious paintings in that day were only supposed to concern themselves with great, classical, historical events. Genre scenes and little still life paintings were actually considered “craft” by the tastes of the period. However, Jean Baptiste Siméon Chardin, a son of bourgeois artisan cabinet makers, held to his interest in the small, the everyday, the commonly beautiful things of life and to seeing them anew, fresh, and unique. In doing so, he continued the long human tradition of painting objects, or still life, as we call it, and became one of the great masters of it.

Still life paintings go back a long way, with the first ones appearing in the tombs of Ancient Egypt. The Greeks and Romans improved on the rather flat representations of fruits, meats, and fish that the Egyptians had done by adding some depth. In the example here, from Herculaneum (c.50 A.D.), we see peaches on shelves along with a wonderful rendering of a glass jar with liquid in it.

Still life paintings show up in the Middle Ages often as decorative borders in illuminated manuscripts. As Europe moved into the Renaissance, paintings sometimes had small lovely still life compositions as part of the general setting of a larger work. Below we can see an example from Van Eyke’s The Arnolfini Marriage Portrait, 1434, where there is a casual representation of items indicating domesticity, like the fruit on the window sill and the table. Of course in the 17th century, painters like Pieter Claesz did banquet pieces showing huge glasses of wine. One also has the little wonders found in works done by Vermeer, like the white wine jar in The Glass of Wine, 1660.

**Fruit on table by Jan Van Eyke, a roemer by Pieter Claesz, and a wine pot by Vermeer**

A bit earlier, 1428, Robert Campin’s Merode Altarpiece has perhaps the most elegant drifting smoke ever painted. (The pot, the flowers and the book aren’t bad either.)

Detail of Merode Altarpiece by Robert Campin, 1428

“Who says one paints with colors? One employs colors; one paints with feelings.” Chardin

The Ray by Chardin, 1727, in the Lourve Museum, Paris.

While Chardin also painted genre paintings of daily life, his real mastery was in the still life paintings. His most famous one, The Ray, 1728, which now hangs in the Louvre, shows a table above which a dead ray fish is hanging. He adds in a bit of a narrative with the cat that is obviously interested in those oysters. It shows the rather brutal reality of life, which includes the death of the things we eat. It is not a lovely sight, but it is a real one and not done in the soft light of many of his other still life paintings, like for instance The Seville Orange, Silver Goblet, Apples, Pear, and Two Bottles, 1750. (See below)

**The Seville Orange, Silver Goblet, Apples, Pear, and Two Bottles, 1750 by Chardin**

Here unlike the jumble of items on the table in The Ray, the setting is simple with the items each in their own space. The stand out, literally because of its position, is the Seville orange. It is pushed to the edge of the table almost like an offering. We see the roughness of the orange peel as opposed to the smooth surfaces of the apples. It’s an exotic creature, different from the northern fruits. As proof, it still bears a leaf and long stem from the tree which bore it somewhere in the southern reaches of Spain, the land where the Moors first introduced citrus fruits to Europe (along with sugarcane). The painting balances the warm colors of the orange, the apples, and pear with the cool blue glass of one of the bottles and the shiny silver of the goblet. The shine on that goblet even allows for a tiny mirror image still life. All of the items sit upon what looks like a stone ledge and are posed against a bluish/gray background that itself has hints of beige/brown shadows. This works as a way to tie it into that ledge and the one bottle of brownish liquid in order to balance the color scheme of the painting. But what about the feeling? To me this seems the story of a visual conversation with each item speaking in its own voice, perhaps to welcome that exotic stranger from Seville that sits a bit apart from them.

Chardin liked telling stories. His genre scenes once again are of the ordinary and the common place, but with attention to the beauty of simple things. Here we have children playing, with one blowing soap bubbles. The soapy water sits to one side, its white leading the eye to the bright forehead of the youngster and the highlights on the bubble. The delicacy of that bubble and the perfect roundness the young bubble blower is so carefully creating are as fragile as life itself, yet they are all in a day’s amusement.

And the beat goes on...

Still life painting remains with us even in this age of abstraction, color field painting, and deconstructed images. One very fine painter of still life that can both show the appreciation of individual objects, use colors and also tell a story is Ed McKay.

“Tea for Two” is an original 16×20 inch oil painting by G. Edward McKay. The painting depicts two ravens disruping a tea service with lemons.

In the oil painting above, he, like Chardin, employs colors beautifully but paints with feelings. Each object in the painting is balanced against the others. The yellow in the dish of herbs takes the eye to the warm yellows of the teapot handle, echoed by the rich yellow of the lemons. That trail of yellows takes the eye all the way across the canvas. The ravens come into play as well, as the raven in the foreground picks at a yellow almond cookie, while the raven on the tea chest sports some yellow head feathers. That use of yellow moves the eye from the bottom of the painting to the top. The contrast of the rich browns and grayish blues provide a sense of dimension and are sparked by those yellows. The alignment of the dish, cups, and teapot move in a diagonal echoed by the body of the raven in the foreground and offset by the diagonal body of the raven on the tea container.

Those diagonals give us the idea of action and tell us that those ravens are up to something. The highlights on the backs of the birds share the same pale blue as the teacups they have disturbed. One bird has claimed the Asian tea chest while his companion inspects an almond cookie. Both act as though they have been invited, though we know and they know that they have not. An interesting tale unfolds here on the table, which the viewer can interpret as he or she likes, making it all the more magical.

You can find more of Ed McKay’s fascinating work here at edmckayart.com and at Squash Blossom Gallery in Old Colorado City (Colorado Springs, CO. squashblossom.com). An article on the painter, “Ed McKay: An Artist’s Journey” can be found at vernellestudio.com

Note: The art works used here are in public domain, except that of Ed Mckay’s painting. It is used with the permission of the artist.

Who says they are not drinking any (expletive) Merlot?

Yes, there was such a thing as the Sideways effect. Sideways, the 2004 film focused on the power of wine, has a number of quotable lines, but the one that concerns us here is what was said about merlot. It really doesn’t taste like “the back of a (expletive) L.A. school bus.”

Merlot comes from a perfectly fine grape, though it seems to have become overused in wine making in the 1990s to the point where comments like the one that Paul Giamatti’s character makes in the film rang a bell with some wine drinkers. As reported in “The Sideways Effect”(npr.org), production using merlot was already sliding when the movie came out, because of over planting in not the best soil. However, after the film, the sales of merlot dropped while sales of pinot noir (the wine the film favored) gained some 16%.

However, the days of kicking merlot to the curb are over, because there really are things about a good merlot to be appreciated and valued. First of all the name is rather wonderful. Merlot is the French for blackbird, and the wine has a deep red color touched with the dark blue of the grape. That color helped it at the beginning of its comeback, as merlot, the color, was a fall fashion color for 2016. By 2017, Bloomberg News even announced that “The Sideways curse has lifted: Merlot is having a comeback.” More recently Marissa Ross on bonappetit.com officially declared that “Merlot is Back” and not in the sense of the TV people from Poltergeist.

Come on, who can stay mad at a grape like this? Certainly not those who are health and diet conscious. Merlot wine, which is dry, fits well with the Keto diet. A 5 oz glass of merlot has only about 4 grams of carbs (anything under 7 grams can be called low carb). If you prefer 3 grams of carbs, then a white merlot works nicely. White merlot is created by limiting the time the grape juices are allowed to be in contact with the dark skin of the grape. One.9 is a brand of merlot with only 1.9 grams. Best of all, you only take in 122 calories in that one 5 oz serving.

And now comes the best part: the food!

Grilled Lamb Chops with Merlot Photo from AlwaysRavenous.com

Lamb chops aren’t the only delicious idea for food pairings with merlot. Always Ravenous also presents a kale and butternut squash salad for the vegetable conscious among us and gives the complete recipe, along with several other yummy ideas (alwaysravenous.com). Beyond that there are always old standbys like filet mignon with mushroom sauce or other meats like pork or veal. It easily accompanies an appetizer plate of cold cuts and cheeses. Even mac and cheese goes well with merlot. How can we dismiss such a versatile wine? So let’s get back to some good basics and get a bottle of good merlot, and watch our weight with something that has a smooth taste with a hint of cherries and plums. Hmm, plums – makes me think of Chardin’s painting at the top of this page.

California is one of the best merlot growing areas on the planet. It is grown in both the Napa and Sonoma Valleys. Here is where trying out a selection makes joining a wine club a handy thing to do. Cellars Wine Club has the West Coast Wine Club with excellent selections, a “no bad bottle” return policy and free shipping. Take a look here cellarswineclub.com or go to the page on Cellars Wine Club on the right of this page.

Of Art and Wine affiliates with Bluehost.com and CellarsWineClub.com and may earn from qualifying purchases.

COMING SOON ON OF ART AND WINE: THE PORTRAIT, ANCIENT TO MODERN, AND SEMILLON WINE.

Queen Nefertari, c. 1250 B.C. , The Mona Lisa 1503-1519 , Sarie by Rita Scafidi, 2019.

Everyone wants to be known. Everyone wants to be remembered. Everyone wants to be seen. Since the first man polished a piece of copper so that it reflected his image, we have all been captives of the image. Some have had their images captured in what we came to know as portraits. Portraiture has a long history, and as with all human activity, it has changed as we have changed. Come scan that history and learn about a grape that has been around for a long time as well, Sémillon, and the wines and blends made from it.

Bronzino’s Allegory of Love and A Valentine for the Heart, Cabernet.

Allegory of Love or Allegory with Venus and Cupid by Agnolo Bronzino, c.1545. National Gallery, London Click on picture to magnify.

This masterpiece is by Agnolo Bronzino (Agnolo di Cosimo Toni or di Cosimo Mariano, 1503-1572). It was done for Cosimo I, Duke of Tuscany to be sent as a gift to Francis I, King of France. It features both Cupid, who lets fly his arrows without any conscious purpose, and his mother Venus, the Goddess of Love. Around them are a cast of characters, all of whom are significant in this allegory. Since allegories tell stories with a moral, or sometimes a hidden meaning, it is important to look at these figures to see what role they might be playing. However, the academic debate over what is happening here and the real reasons for which the painting was done remain unresolved. Let’s just start with the painting style.

“La Bella Maniera” or Mannerism

In the 16th century, European art was still in the Renaissance, where allegories featuring classical Greek and Roman deities were in fashion, especially among the well-educated noble and royal classes. The symbolic meanings were coded messages which were difficult if almost impossible for the general pubic to understand. Some art historians even think that this period was the first real “avant garde” movement in Western art because the artists took a lot of liberties. Some of the art almost approaches 19th century styles of art. The Cathoic Church decided by the end of the 16th century to pull all this back down to recognizable figures, with stories that regular people were familiar with, which fit in with its counter-reformation moves to oppose Protestantism. That art became the hallmark of the Baroque period, which started in the 17th century.

While on the topic of Bella Maniera, a thing to note besides the classical themes and hidden messages is the bold use of colors, especially pastels. One excellent example comes from Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, which when first cleaned some years ago shocked the art world with is beautiful light pastel colors. Another example from that period is the painting here of biblical figures taking the body of Christ off the cross (The Deposition, 1528) by Pontormo (born Jacopo Carucci, 1494-1557), who was Bronzino’s teacher.

In Bronzino’s painting, the rich color tones are in the background and contrast with the white, almost marble-like bodies of the mythical characters of Venus, Cupid, and the small putti (angel) who carries rose petals to shower on the couple. Other aspects of Mannerism are exaggerated postures and curious images, all of which are seen here.

Now, of course, you are thinking, but wait Venus and Cupid are mother and son. What is this? So here is where the allegoical part comes in. Cupid is an unconscious being; love and lust is all he is about. He is pure id – if it feels good, do it. You will note that a word for sexual licentiousness is cupidity. Here Venus looks like a good enough partner (hints of the old Greek tale of Oedipus who through the working of fate married his own mother). However, though Cupid kisses and embraces Venus, it is Venus who holds Cupid’s arrow, meaning she is in control. (I will let you all think further on that one yourselves.) The little putti is along for the fun with no thought to anything else, hence why he is called Folly. Folly would certainly describe the actions of Cupid.

Now come the characters in the background. The old man with the extremely long arm is Father Time (see the hourglass on his shoulder). He is attempting to pull back the blue satin curtain to reveal the truth, while his blind daughter, Oblivion, wishes to pull it down over the whole scene. What truth about this activity lies behind that curtain? On the floor to the right are masks that have been tossed aside. What is being unmasked here? And on the left in the corner is one lone turtle dove, as opposed to the normal pair of love birds. All of these are signs that things are amiss.

This figure with the beautiful face and the honeycomb in her hand is called Fraud or Deceit. While her face captures the attention and her gift seems well-meaning, when one follows the green dress, one sees that she is a monster underneath. Part reptile, part wild beast, she is not to be trusted. Bronzino positioned her against that beautiful blue satin which draws attention to her pretty face. It takes a bit of looking at the details to see the rest of her story. So not unlike reading the fine print in a contract, the Devil is in the details. When the concept is applied to love, we can easily think of the deception of beautiful looks and attractive images that can turn out to be not beautiful at all.

So even though there is dispute about what some of these images are, one thing is clear. It is a painting about indiscretion and inappropriate lust. It may also be about the consequences of unbridled passions, a sort of 16th century health warning. For more on that, I will send you to this article from the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) The article looks in particular at the head of the screaming figure of a man (just to the left of Cupid’s back). Art historians say that this figure is Jealousy and that he is screaming in a jealous rage. Perhaps, but the doctors say he is screaming about something else.

This painting is itself a bit deceptive, not in the sense of fraud, but in the sense of veiled mockery. It is a skillful, beautiful masterpiece of a painting done by one of the period’s great painters. As such it was an appropriate gift from one important ruler to another, but did it serve another purpose? Francis I was a very cultured man, educated in the Humanist traditions and familiar with the classics. He was also quite the womanizer. Was Duke Cosimo mocking Francis for his licentiousness by reminding him of the consequences? When this painting arrived, Francis I was already very ill with the disease that would kill him a few years later, syphillis. So the real purpose of this painting may have been quite different from what some assume.

This painting is in Public Domain.

A Valentine for the Heart, Cabernet

Well, we have all heard of the French Paradox. You know, how French people fill themselves with cheeses, rich sauces, and creamy desserts, only to never gain much weight and not be bothered very much with heart disease. And there is the Mediterranean diet, which focuses on fresh fruits and vegetables but allows you to enjoy life by eating other things in moderate proportions. It is considered a very healthy choice. So what do these two have in common? It seems to be wine, and red wine in particular, with the wine suspected of being the secret ingredient in regard to heart health.

Now before continuing, let me make it clear that health professionals and I, as someone who follows their guidelines, do not suggest that people just take up drinking wine for its proported health benefits. Wine should be consumed in moderation and along with a healthy meal. Moderation means one 5 oz. glass for a woman and perhaps 2 of same for men under 65 (one glass for men over 65). Beyond that comes the question of what red wine does or does not do for the health of your heart.

The key ingredient in red wine may be something called resveratrol, which may be responsible for lower risk of inflammation and blood clots. However, there are also many anti-oxidents present in the wine which increase levels of HDL, or good cholesterol. However, the debate still rages, not unlike those in art history, about what the effects really are, whether there are other aspects in the lives of the study participants that affect their health, and even if any wine or alcohol might be just as efficient as red. Case in point, the Japanese seem to have lower risk for heart disease and they drink beers more than wines. Of course, they also eat a lot of fish and not much red meat.

However, since the jury is still out, and since Valentine’s Day is coming, let’s take a look at the wonders of the King of Red Wines, cabernet. (The title is mine, so it is unofficial, except here on my blog). In particular, let’s look at and compare cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon.

One thing that cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon have in common is the southwestern region of France in and around Bordeaux. The famous Bordeaux blends can be made up by mixing cabernet franc grapes and merlot or cabernet sauvignon grapes with merlot. The cabernet sauvignon grape in fact came into being when some cabernet franc fields got mixed with fields of sauvignon blanc around the 16th century, and nature did its thing. U.C. Davis found out what nature had been up to when in 1996 it genetically linked (a plant-based paternity test?) this combination of grapes as the origin of the cabernet sauvignon grape. The cabernet franc produces a red wine that is lighter in color than the cabernet sauvignon, dry to the taste, and highly acidic. That means it goes well with goat cheeses, burgers, stews, wild game and anything with a tomato base. For a deep dive into cabernet franc, I will send you to www.winefolly.com

Cabernet sauvignon grapes seem to travel well, as they have invaded vineyards all over the world to the great delight of vintners and consumers around the globe. The Napa Valley and the Santa Cruz Mountains of California produce excellent cabernet sauvignon wines with the taste of dark berries, spice, and vanilla, with aromas of leather and tobacco. The high tannin levels allow the wine to spend time in oak barrels which brings out its flavors, such as vanilla. These California cabernet sauvignon wines came to the fore as some of the best in the world in 1996. The alcohol content is high, 14.5% and even 15%. It is definitely best to drink them while consuming food, so that they don’t overwhelm you. However, cabernet sauvignon is a food-friendly wine, so think of roast meats, BBQ, vegetables with savory sauces, Asian food, and on and on.

Both of these cabernets fit into the low carb category, with a glass having as low a carb count as 0.45 grams and going up to 3.8 grams of carbs. Calorie counts range from 99 to 125 per 5 oz. glass. They are Keto-diet friendly. The more expensive ones, definitely over $30, are appropriate for aging, with one being able to keep them, in proper conditions of course, for up to 10 years. So while the verdict is still out on all the possible benefits of red wine for the heart, you can certainly have a glass of this wonderful red for Valentine’s Day and dedicate it to your heart or your sweetheart.

Now, since California produces wonderful cabernets, you need to have a way to try them. A good wine club can give you that opportunity, so try Cellars Wine Club’s West Coast Wine Club. Look at the information in the Cellars Wine Club page on the right side of the screen or go directly through this link www.cellarswineclub.com. Cellars offers free delivery, a “no bad bottle” return policy, and allows you to donate part of your purchase to one of number of vetted charities in the Give Back Program.

Of Art and Wine affiliates with Bluehost.com and CellarsWineClub.com and may earn from qualifying purchases.

Coming Soon on Of Art and Wine: Still Life, Chardin, and Merlot.

Still Life with Plums by Jean-Baptiste Siméon Chardin, 1730. Click on the picture to magnify.

Chardin (1699 – 1779) was a master of the still life and of gentle domestic genre scenes. His use of diffused light as well as a variety of textures on the surface of his paintings earned him great fame during his lifetime. Though a painter in the period known as Rococo, he never went too far in representing objects, preferring to let their natural beauty take center stage. Here we have a group of plums, plums which seem to be the flavor often associated with Merlot. Ah, Chardin and Merlot, a perfect pairing.