印象派いんしょうは芸術げいじゅつにみる19世紀せいき以降いこうの食文化しょくぶんかとアイデンティティ——米国べいこく4都市としを巡めぐる展覧会てんらんかいの意義いぎ

The influence and spread of French Impressionism can be said to be unprecedented in the art world.

You can even see socks inspired by Claude Monets paintings and hats themed after Vincent van Gogh being sold at airport gift shops, which shows how widespread this style has become.

Impressionism was once considered an avant-garde art movement, but it gradually became widely accepted for its delicate and pleasant depictions of various aspects of everyday life in late 19th-century French society.

In particular, Impressionist painters were quick to focus on the process of cultivating and harvesting ingredients such as vegetables and fruits, and even on elevating them into the art of gastronomy.

It is undeniable that this artistic approach has contributed to elevating Frances status as one of the worlds leading gastronomic nations.

However, it goes without saying that expressing food in works of art is a complex theme that involves not only aesthetic aspects but also social and economic backgrounds.

This is clearly demonstrated through a traveling exhibition in four American cities called The Farm to Table: Art, Cuisine, and Identity in the Age of Impressionism.

This exhibition is a joint project between the American Federation of Arts AFA and the Chrysler Museum of Art, curated by Andrew Eschelbacher, the exhibition director at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art.

Under the theme of Exploring the Intersection of Late 19th-Century French Art, Culinary Culture, and National Identity, the exhibition features over 50 works by representative Impressionist painters such as Claude Monet, Paul Gauguin, Eva Gonzalès, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

Seattle Art Museum SAM—the only city on the West Coast to host this exhibition—will hold the event from October 23, 2025, to January 18, 2026, under the direction of the museums curator of American art, Teresa Papnikolas.

One of the highlights of the exhibition is the multifaceted approach to cuisine.

Not only does this exhibition focus on the sumptuous banquets and the pleasures of the privileged classes once depicted by the Impressionists, but it also pays attention to agricultural workers, those involved in the production and harvesting of food, and even people who cannot afford to dine in restaurants.

For example, Léon Augustin Lhermitte’s work “The Gleaners” 1887 depicts peasants bending over and working in the fields after the harvest, highlighting the social background and the reality of labor.

Furthermore, at the Seattle Art Museum, dining tables are set up within the exhibition space so that visitors can actively think about and discuss food culture.

On the table, there were questions ranging from light ones like If you could choose, who would you have dinner with? to more socially profound issues such as Are you familiar with food deserts in Seattle? and What can you do to improve access to food in your community?, encouraging visitors to take proactive action.

During the exhibition period, there will also be professional discussions on various food-related themes, such as We Are Shaped by Where We Eat: Seattles Food Culture. These discussions will feature lively debates on food culture and issues facing local communities.

In addition, the Seattle Art Museums gift shop offers a selection of carefully chosen products made in the Pacific Northwest, featuring stories of small-scale producers, such as high-quality soup mixes from Rill’s Specialty Foods, a family-run business.

Furthermore, there are also books by local chefs and farmers, such as Growing a Feast and Chefs on the Farm, allowing visitors not only to enjoy the art but also to deeply reflect on the diversity of food culture and their connections with the local community.

In this way, this exhibition offers a valuable opportunity to present, from multiple perspectives through Impressionist art, the changes in food culture and its social significance from the 19th century to the present, encouraging visitors to engage in dialogue and take action.