Painted Animals and Wine + Chile (and not just the country).

The author of the Smithsonian Magazine article (linked above) contends that our prehistoric ancestors were much better illustrators of animals than our current artists are. Of course, the title is meant to catch the attention, and the whole article is not a complete slam on the drawing skills of non-prehistoric artists. One thing for sure is that humans have always been keenly aware of the animals that surrounded them. Those prehistoric artists created the beautiful, plentiful herds of animals ostensibly to link themselves mentally to the animals in order to secure a good hunt and plentiful food. They were rather like good military commanders who think like their opponents in order to figure out where those opponents were, and what they were doing.

The Ancient Egyptians, of course, seemed to believe that you really could take it all with you. Their tombs in particular were filled with beautiful paintings of the wild life that surrounded them along the river Nile. The representations of the wildlife are highly natural and recognizable for those who know the different species by sight. Once again the focus was on the practical, i.e. how to keep oneself fed for eternity, so the emphasis was on hunting and fishing, with glorious meals to be had afterward.

However, as always with artistry, there are those flights of fantasy that go beyond the more mundane look at our animal neighbors as useful for our physical sustenance. Below is a lovely turn of the imagination depicting a lithe young woman, hair-do perfectly in tact, as she floats along in the waters being pulled by a duck. The item is a cosmetics spoon which allowed one to dip into a variety of powders that could be used to create any woman’s beautiful appearance. Or they could also be used to gracefully throw myrhh on to fires in celebration of the gods or as part of a funerary ceremony. Regardless of how it was used, the lovely image of this delicate swimmer conjures up our fondest fantasies of what life on the Nile might have been.

Time marches on (and rapidly in this little blog space) to that period in European painting when animals took on symbolic meanings. Little dogs became a symbol for fidelity. One prime example is the little dog present in Jan Van Eyck’s The Arnolfini Marriage Portrait (1434).

Animals in Renaissance painting could be highly symbolic of many things. The portrait below is by Leonardo da Vinci, and what would life be without Leonardo? The portrait is supposedly of Cecilia Gallerani, the mistress of Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan from 1480-1494. The young woman holds an ermine. Its calm presence would indicate that it is a domesticated pet not unlike the little dog in Van Eyck’s painting. However, the symbolism here is quite different. Ermine fur was extremely expensive so used by only the wealthy (see Madame Arnolfini’s dress lined in white ermine). The ermine was often seen as a royal animal, which brings us to why Cecilia might have one. It represents her status as the Duke’s favorite.

But enough of dogs and ermines, let’s get to some horses. Something that goes back a long way is the painting and sculpting of horses. How could Pharaoh possibly ride into battle (at least symbolically) were he not driving his Ferrari of a chariot pulled by two rearing steeds? How could those brave Greek warriors ride into battle (nude!) on anything less than the magnificent horses carved for the Parthenon (now called the Elgin Marbles and in the British Museum)?

Obviously, horses have a long history of being a means of transportation, whether in moving from camp to camp, carrying humans from one destination to another or riding soldiers into battle. However, it can easily be seen that their beautiful form and their swift, powerful, but graceful gallop have long been the subject of art. Even though in the telling of the story, they were part of the subtext, their dynamic forms shine through. The story of horse paintings is an art history subject in itself. However, there are those times when the horses themselves have become the main event.

Such an event was the Trail of Painted Ponies, which originated in Santa Fe, New Mexico, as the brainchild of Santa Fe native and author, Roy Barker. This venture of having artists express through painting life-size models of horses, which were exhibited, first in Santa Fe, then throughout the nation, became quite the phenomenon. Walking down any street, or through a small plaza, one might turn a corner and be in the presence of one of these fabulous creations. At the end of the exhibitions, the ponies were rounded up and auctioned off, raising over a million dollars for charities (trailofpaintedponies.com). Once again the horse was the vehicle, but this time for ideas and for art.

• 

• 

• 

While the painted ponies were the artists’ canvas so to speak, there is such a thing as capturing the essence, dare I say personality, of the animal itself. Colorado Springs artist, Susan Johnson, is an expert at that. A painter of animal portraits, normally her clients’ beloved household pets, she is also a master at presenting the animal as it exists in its own world. Since we are on the subject of horses, look at this winsome beauty, her head seductively turned to look at us over her shoulder.

Johnson speaks of taking up the challenge of “trying to capture the spirit of the animal in paint.” She focuses on how color choices, shapes, and the play of light and shadow help to define a specific animal. In the painting above, the pose of the horse in water makes for a stunning composition. This is not a portrait of the horse as heroic beast, but rather of the animal being itself, enjoying the pleasure of the flow of the stream about its legs and perhaps wondering who we are.

To round out this brief look at painted animals and animals in painting, I suggest a viewing of this wonderful little piece of video by art dealer Philip Mould in his Call to the Camera series. It is a series done while in COVID-19 isolation in which he asked his viewers to send in a picture of themselves with a favorite piece of art. This segment is on animals in painting, youtube.com

Humans and the other creatures on the planet have a long history together. Our art shows how important they are and have always been. In future perhaps our appreciation of them in art will help bring us closer to them in a compassionate understanding of one another.

Paintings used in historic discussion are in public domain. Images of the Painted Ponies come from Trail of Painted Ponies website, linked above. Paintings by Susan Johnson are used with the artist’s permission. Johnson can be contacted through this blog at ofartandwine@gmail.com

Marjorie Vernelle is an artist, writer, college professor and traveler. For more see the Pages at ofartandwine.com.

Wine from Chile, and Wine with Chile (Chili)

Rugged mountains, sloping valley filled with grape vines, and the remnant of the sun’s rays after they have kissed the growing wine grapes, beautiful isn’t it? Even the name of one of the most popular wines is lovely, Carménère. It is a French name since the vines originated in Bordeaux where the grapes were used in the various melanges that made up the different versions of the regions’ deep red Bordeaux wine. An offshoot of the Cabernet Franc grape, not unlike its siblings, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, the Carménère grape is also a dark-skinned grape and one that has shared in their historic battles with the phylloxera louse.

Unfortunately for Carménère, its roots do not take to grafting, so the grape fell somewhat into disuse in France. Luckily, some years before the contagion, a few Chilean vintners took clippings of what they thought were Merlot grapes and carried the vines off to Chile. As it turned out, most of that haul of “Merlot” grapes were actually Carménère, which took nicely to the growing conditions in Chile, where there was no phylloxera. In fact, 96% of all these grapes are now grown in Chile, making it a Chilean specialty.

While many of us peruse the shelves in our favorite wine merchant’s store, going first happily to the French and Italian imports, and then possibly to California or Washington wines, how often do we stop to consider Chile’s offerings? A recent article, “$15 Wines That Taste Like $50: Chilean Carménère,” which appears on jamessuckling.com, may very well change your mind. It would be well worth it to give this survivor a taste.

Only in Santa Fe, NM: Wine and Chile Festival

Okay, the first thing to get straight is the spelling. Chile is really the name of a country – you know, the one with the good Carménère wine. Chili is the name of a pepper used to make that wonder of northern Mexican and Southwestern U.S. cooking, chili con carne. However, much of the online information on this 5-day food fest in Santa Fe seems to use the name of the country and not that of the pepper. How these things happen is one of the mysteries of human language; however, I can tell you that the dish is really from the area mentioned above. I say that from my memories of long ago visits to Mexico City where no one at that time knew about such a dish. (I was too far south, I guess.) However, we know about it, and it seems that chili aficionados need only to go to Santa Fe on the last weekend of September to experience it. (Note: This festival along with the celebrated Indian Market have been postponed until 2021 because of COVID 19, but keep a note on your calendar.)

But back to the chile – er chili. To get the low down on chili recipes, there is no more authoritative source than Dave DeWitt at fieryfoodscentral.com. In Part 9 of the “The Great Chili Con Carne Project: The Southwest Chili Wars,” he spills the tea on the famous and the infamous in the chili history of the Southwest. However, chili con carne is not all that can be had with great wine. Here in a video to celebrate one of Santa Fe’s annual Chile and Wine Festivals is chef, Todd Hall. He prepares pistachio crusted lamb chops and talks about the festival here on youtube.com.

So, in these days of vicarious experiences and virtual travels, we can all still gather great recipes to cook and get good wines to drink with them. One way to get that wine is to join a wine club. Cellars Wine Club offers a wide variety of wines, including international selections, free shipping, and a “no bad bottle” return policy. With a club for every budget, the Cellars Wine Club page here on ofartandwine.com is worth a look.

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

©marjorie vernelle 2020

Coming Soon on Of Art and Wine, Watercolorists: Turner, Girtin, Bonington, and a Wine Called Chablis

Watercolors are often thought of as oil painting’s country cousin. You know, not quite up to being real painting. It is rather like the comparisons of Chablis to Chardonnay. However, there is a lot more to these underdogs that makes them well worth consideration.