Women And Food: Illustrated

My friend Diana (@adamsconsulting) recently told me about the work of Lee Price. Lee’s paintings, several of them self-portraits, are almost photorealistic depictions of the relationship some women have with food. As Diana said, “It’s hard to tell in these paintings if the women are eating because they are happy, sad, depressed, lonely or just hungry… nobody knows. I can relate to this a lot. I’ve eaten many meals, alone in my house, completely naked.”

As a male I’m not going to pretend to relate 100% to these images, as it’s depicting so much more than a person eating. There are the female body image issues, the heightened female sense of smell which presumably affects flavour sensation, and of course as a guy I’m more likely to shower than bathe

But as someone who came out of a diet awareness project with a newly developed love/hate relationship with food, there’s also quite a bit here I do relate to. The temptation to binge. The desire to gorge for its own sake, knowing the food has nothing of nutrients to offer. In my case I oscillate between this craving and that of seeing food as strictly utilitarian; something to be tolerated for survival’s sake. I’m slowly relearning to enjoy food for its flavour, its texture, and the company one keeps while dining.

Without further ado, here are Lee’s works. It’s hard to believe these are paintings, not photos, isn’t it?

RefugeOil on Linen, 44” x 64”

Cocoa PuffsOil on Linen, 44” x 62”

Snack - Oil on Linen 52” x 40”Dock I - Oil on Linen 60” x 36”

Jelly DoughnutsOil on Linen, 40"x64"

Strawberry SwirlOil on Linen, 36” x 58”

Grilled CheeseOil on Linen, 38"x64"

Asleep - Oil on Linen 56” x 38”Dock II - Oil on Linen, 44” x 48"

SundayOil on Linen, 48” x 60”

FullOil on Linen, 44” X 54”

Self Portrait in Tub with Chinese FoodOil on Linen, 44” x 44”

Lisa in Tub with Chocolate CakeOil on Linen, 44” x 60”