Traditional markets around the world always impress me by what seems to be the human imperative to create beauty, whether with fish, tomatoes, spices, tagines or all sorts of other goods. When we travel, my wife and I are always attracted to local markets. We have visited them in many countries. Although there are numerous similarities among them, they also reveal a lot about local foods and customs. For instance, in Phnom Penh the main market featured barrels of live beetles. In Spain we saw crates filled with frogs on their way to France. Fifty years ago in Paris there were butcher shops that only sold horse meat. None of these were beautiful. Other markets, however, are a different story, necessitating photos. The attention to appearance of course serves a perceived financial benefit to the seller. But the outcome, to my eye, is a kind of art. And I’m not the only one. Artists have been creating paintings and capturing the appearance of food and markets for at least a thousand years.
As we know from Lascaux (ca. 15,000 BCE) and even earlier places, for example in Indonesia (ca. 40,000 BCE), prehistoric people drew pictures on cave walls, primitive, but sometimes beautiful. We have also seen remnants of art adorning ancient utilitarian items, from oil lamps to wine jugs, kraters, drinking glasses and more. Just as birds instinctively build nests and feed their young, humans seem to instinctively create art. And as Picasso said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”
Around 1560, well into the Renaissance, European artists began exploring new subjects beyond scenes from the bible and ancient mythology, including everyday life, often referred to as “genre” painting. Artists like Pieter Bruegel the Elder began to depict ordinary people in their ordinary activities—eating, drinking, dancing, smoking, farming, playing games, picking pockets, etc. One popular subject was markets. Joachim Beuckelaer of Antwerp (1533–c. 1570/4) was one of those who saw beauty in dead fish—not surprising, given Antwerp’s flourishing fish industry.
Displays of spices have been a frequent sight at local markets we have visited. The brilliant colors have surprised us as much as the beauty of the arrangements. Some of those same spices have been used historically by artists to create pigments for their paintings. The earliest sources of color, for instance at Lascaux, were local minerals. However, over time artisans learned to color their paints with what they presumably had been eating, in fact mixing spices (and minerals) with egg yolks to create tempera. Rhizomes of turmeric were used for the color yellow. Saffron is generally yellow-orange. Chili, sumac and cayenne were used for reds and tamarind can be used for red-brown. The list is long. Seeing the spices in open-air markets helps us understand how artists came to use them as pigments.
Fresh Direct delivers all sorts of food to my daughter, among other customers. However, around the world millions of people visit local traditional markets to see what they are or are not buying—to look, smell and perhaps touch. Deliveries by Fresh Direct come in branded bags. Most of what’s sold in Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and other supermarkets around the world is prepackaged, including greens, berries, vegetables and spices, whereas traditional markets present their wares in traditional ways designed to attract customers. Competition among vendors at these markets is clearly a driving force.
One of the most beautiful markets in the world is Harrods, worth a stop for any tourist visiting London. Similarly, The Galeries Lafayette in Paris demonstrates the vendor’s eye on beauty. But department stores hire high-priced specialists, whereas for spice or dye sellers in Guatemala or Egypt it’s the artists themselves who are selling their wares.
Vendors around the world, lacking packaging equipment and materials (plastic!), apparently know it’s not a good idea to toss their fruits, vegetables, dead fish and chickens, breads and cakes helter-skelter. Rather, they take pride in their ability to create beautiful displays, which we are treated to, whether shopping or just browsing. And they seem to be able to recognize beauty, while treating us to their art. G&S
Photos by Norman A. Ross
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