Van Gogh's Table: At the Auberge Ravoux
by Alexandra Leaf, Fred Leeman
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Book Summary Information
Author: Alexandra Leaf, Fred LeemanEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2006-09-28
ISBN: 1579653154
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Artisan
Book Reviews of Van Gogh's Table: At the Auberge Ravoux
Book Review: Perfect blend of art and cuisine
Summary: 5 Stars
This lovely book, a perfect blend of art and cuisine, will satisfy any reader, from the most casual van Gogh fan to the most discriminating foodie and/or art historical specialist. As the subtitle indicates ("Recipes from the Artist's Last Home and Paintings of Caf? Life"), it's is partly a cookbook, featuring recipes from the Auberge Ravoux, a 19th century inn in the town of Auvers-sur-Oise where van Gogh lived the last seventy days of his life, and where he died.
But don't be misled. This is not just another pretty coffee-table book with yet more pretty color reproductions of "The Caf? Terrace on the Place du Forum," etc. This is a work of substantive scholarship, but presented in such a way as to be accessible and enjoyable to anyone. The second half of the book, including the recipes, is authored by culinary historian Alexandra Leaf (in cooperation with chef Christophe Bony), who contexualizes the recipes in a larger discussion about van Gogh's time in Auvers and culinary customs of the time. The first half is authored by art historian Fred Leeman, former chief curator of the van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. His essay, "A Private Life in Public Places," discusses van Gogh's biography, but primarily from the view of his time spent in restaurants and caf?s, so it's not the usual story that's been recounted so many times. In addition to discussing more well-known van Gogh paintings like "The Caf? Terrace on the Place du Forum" or "The Night Caf?," Leeman also includes lesser-known paintings and drawings that specialists will be happy to see and non-specialists will enjoy learning about. His analyses of the works are clear and persuasive, sometimes offering alternative datings and interpretations. Julia Galosy, who worked with Dominique-Charles Janssens, the current owner of the Auberge Ravoux, in restoring the inn, also contributes a wonderful essay on that specific caf? and its history. All the authors rightfully avoid the tabloid sensationalism that unfortunately pervades many published treatments of the artist (including those written by evident non-specialists in a lame attempt to make a quick buck).
Handsome illustrations of nearly every van Gogh work mentioned (including some that are rarely illustrated), archival photographs, and lovely photographs of the contemporary incarnation of the Auberge Ravoux and its cuisine, add to the stand-alone value of this book. For those who are interested, there are endnotes in the back of the book, leading readers to specific citations in van Gogh's letters and elsewhere, and a brief but comprehensive bibliography.
On a side note: I purchased this book in its hardcover edition in 2006 in preparation for a visit to Auvers-sur-Oise. My plans included a luncheon at the Auberge Ravoux and a pilgrimage to Vincent's lonely attic room. Reading this book, including Mr. Janssens' forward, was the perfect preparation for my visit. Sitting in the cozy atmosphere of the Auberge and enjoying a three-course luncheon (including the Marinated Herring and Salmon from p. 110 and the positively sublime Chocolate Mousse Saboyan from p. 130) was a wonderful experience that I will always treasure. (I replicated it in May 2007...mousse au chocolat, encore une fois, s'il vous plait!) A different experience, more spiritual and moving in character and even more memorable, was the actual visit to Vincent's room upstairs. Mr. Janssens and his associates are to be commended for their dedication to Vincent's memory through their work at the Auberge Ravoux, and the authors and publisher of this book are to be commended for diffusing that work in book form.
Summary of Van Gogh's Table: At the Auberge Ravoux
At the Auberge Ravoux, in a tiny artists' village twenty miles from Paris, Vincent Van Gogh found a measure of peace in his ill-starred life-and experienced an unparalleled burst of creativity, producing seventy masterpieces and studies. The Auberge still operates today as the Maison de Van Gogh. Little has changed since Van Gogh first set down his bags more than a century ago, and visitors are still treated to the comforting, delicious regional cuisine that he would have dined upon.Here is a stirring view into Van Gogh's world, as intimate as sharing poulet and pommes saut?es with the artist himself. Written by the former Chief Curator of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam with one of America's foremost culinary authorities, this unique cookbook/art book explores the role of the caf? in Van Gogh's life. Includes more than 50 traditional recipes, ranging from hearty to refined, and 100 photographs, paintings, sketches, engravings, and letters, some never before seen in book form.
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