A few months ago, Golden Mean opened its doors but owner Grace Milligan had been dreaming about this artisan-focused gift shop and art gallery for years. She worked in sales, merchandising and fashion for Wolves Within and Rare Device in NYC before moving to Texas with her goal of opening this beautiful store.
Still Life with a Golden Goblet
Every society is fascinated by food. It can be visually beautiful, delicious, or a symbol of wealth and tradition. This explains why still life paintings of foods have been so popular throughout history from ancient Roman mosaics to Dutch Baroque masterpieces such as Still Life with a Golden Goblet. This painting by Pieter de Ring is a feast for the eyes with its vivid colors, strong contrasts and sharp lines. It depicts an opulent banquet scene of fruit, seafood and tableware. Moreover, the red lobster, sitting in the foreground, is rendered with scientific observation and precision. Pieter studied the shapes, contours and lines of the lobster to capture its image. But the lobster also carries symbolic implications of luxury, gluttony and death.
The 17th century was a time of unprecedented prosperity in the Netherlands. Overseas trade brought in wealth and foreign incentives that stimulated creativity among artists. Pieter de Ring specialized and became famous for his showy banquet still-lifes. His paintings announce the success and newfound wealth of the upper middle class. Qua tang doanh nghiep In this one, he features a ceremonial golden goblet, an overloaded table with fruit, killed game and cheeses, as well as luxurious tableware. The grapes may cost less than the peaches, but they carry more symbolic meaning. They are associated with the Roman god Bacchus, who is both the god of wine and fertility. In Christianity, however, grapes symbolize both sin and salvation.
Gilded Animal Sculptures
In the era of ancient China, animal-shaped vessels conveyed a host of meanings: they served as diplomatic gifts and tribute, spoils of war, offerings to deities and the dead, exotic objects for trade, and markers of social stature and identity. The shapes of these works are evocative and suggestive: they are svelte and elegant, yet at the same time ferocious and predatory.
For her gilded ceramic animal sculptures, Kimberly Cook accents certain details with gold coloring, giving them a luxe look that sets them apart. Spiky crowns and chunky chains give lambs, rabbits and deer a hardcore element, making them seem more gangster-like, like they have a dark side that hides behind their docile facade.
Jamie Roadkill’s gilded anatomically correct skeletons made from animals that have been killed on roadways are also an exploration of humanity’s lust for progress and the hypocrisy of labeling some living creatures “vermin” while overpopulating our planet. These gleaming creatures are also beautiful, and a reminder of the power of nature to heal the soul.
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