Surrealist Painting Presentation
René Magritte, Son of Man, 1964; oil on canvas
This surrealist painting is called the Son of Man by Rene Magritte. The Son of Man is a self portrait painted in 1964 and is one of the most recognized surrealist artworks. Rene Magritte was a Belgium painter who lived from 1898-1967. He started his career creating impressionist paintings and began working with surrealism in the 1920s. In 1927 he had his first solo exhibition, and the critics that he received influenced his visit to Paris. He met other surrealist artists there and was inspired to paint a number of surrealist paintings. The start of WWII inspired him to create colourful works in contrast to the destruction suffering brought on by the war. When he went back to his surrealist style in 1948, Magritte experienced the most success in his career. He has made an lasting impact on the history of surrealism and gave new perspectives to familiar things.
The painting is a self portrait of Rene Magritte and features a man wearing a bowler hat and an overcoat. The background has a cloudy sky above the ocean and a brick wall. The colours are mostly muted and greyishOn closer inspection, the viewer may notice that the man's left elbow is drawn backwards. Even stranger is the green apple that covers the man's face. The face being covered along with the man with the bowler hat is often seen in his other paintings, such as the Man in a Bowler Hat and The Great War. This painting is an example of surrealist art because it joins objects in unusual combinations because it combines the simple painting with a random green apple in the middle. It also reverses natural laws because of the apple that breaks the law of gravity.
Swiss rolls, also known as jelly rolls or cream rolls, are rolled up sponge cake usually filled with whipped cream, jam,or icing. It is rolled into a log shape and cutting it reveals a spiral pattern. They come in many different flavours such as vanilla and chocolate, or with different toppings such as fruits.
It is not fully known where they originate from but it may be from around central Europe. Some historians believe it is an old English recipe or from Austria. The earliest reference to swiss rolls was in the Northern Farmer, a journal published in Utica, New York on December 1852. Inside the journal the recipe reads: "To Make a Jelly Cake". "Bake quick and while hot spread with jelly. Roll carefully, and wrap it in a cloth. When cold, cut in slices for the table.”
One of Magritte's aim in his painting was to create something with an endless amounts of interpretations. The meaning of the Son of Man depends on the viewer. It has been suggested that the painting is of a modern businessman and the apple obscuring his face represents how a person needs to hide their true self from society to conform.
What I like about the Son of Man Painting is its simplicity yet it is ambiguous. The apple that covers the man's face brings questions to the viewer and lets them interpret the painting. The random floating apple that completely blocks the man's face in the middle of what would be a normal painting brings along a feeling of uneasiness because it is hard to tell the expression that is on his face, which is enhanced by the muted colours of the cloudy sky.
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Food Presentation-Swiss Rolls
The swiss roll was a popular dessert in the UK. They spread to other countries such as Hong Kong or India from the influence of the British Empire. In the 1960s, manufacturing swiss rolls as a snack became very popular. This was around the time when new businesses that sold swiss rolls opened up, such as Little Debbie and Lyons Company. Today swiss rolls are commonly found in cake shops, notable in chinese bakeries due to its popularity in chinese cuisine.
There are many variations of swiss rolls depending on the country's tastes, and they can develop their own flavours and toppings. In Europe for example, the country of France has a dessert called a Yule Log, a tradition that is eaten during Christmas. It is a swiss roll covered in chocolate frosting and resembles a chopped off tree branch. In Sweden it is called a Rulltarta, made of potato flour instead of the commonly used wheat, all purpose flour, or cake flour.
There are also different swiss rolls in places in Asia. Swiss rolls are quite popular in places such as Hong Kong and in Chinese pastries because they spread from the British Empire. These Hong Kong style swiss rolls are usually lighter than the western styles. In India they make jam rolls, and in Japan they commonly put matcha flavouring or red bean whipped cream into the swiss rolls. There are fruit swiss rolls as well that are popular in Malaysia, fruits like strawberry, blueberry, and coconut.
Swiss Roll Recipe
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1/2 cup cake flour
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1 tablespoon cornstarch
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¼ teaspoon baking powder
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3 eggs (separated)
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5 tablespoons sugar (divided, plus 1 teaspoon)
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2 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil (or canola oil)
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2 tablespoons milk
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1/3 cup cold heavy cream
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2 tablespoons powdered sugar (optional)
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
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Line the base of a 10 by 15-inches Swiss roll or jelly roll pan with greaseproof or parchment paper. Brush the base and sides of the pan with melted butter, and dust with flour.
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In a large bowl or in an electric food mixer, whisk the eggs, and sugar together, until light and fluffy, and then add the water, and vanilla extract.
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Sift in the flour, about a third at a time, and using a large metal spoon, fold it into the egg mixture.
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Pour the mixture gently into the prepared pan, and bake in the oven until the center of the cake is slightly springy and the edges have shrunk a little from the sides of the tin, about 12 to 15 minutes.
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Spread out a piece of parchment paper (slightly larger than the tin in size) on a work surface and sprinkle evenly with caster sugar (this stops the roll from sticking to the paper). Turn or invert the pan onto the sugared parchment paper, and then carefully remove the tin and parchment paper from the bottom of the cake.
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Place a slightly damp, clean tea or kitchen towel over the cake while it cools- this will prevent it from drying out and cracking when you roll it.
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When the cake is cool, spread the jam sparingly over the cake, leaving a 1-inch border. Repeat with the whipped cream. With the longest side facing you, roll up the Swiss roll away from you, then transfer to a plate to serve. Sprinkle the cake with caster sugar or dust with icing sugar to finish.
Why I like it
My favourite kinds of food are pastries and swiss rolls are one them that I enjoy eating. I like swiss rolls because it is a fun and quick dessert to eat and there are many different types to chose from.
Bibliography:
“SWISS ROLL.” Sweetooth, www.sweetoothdesign.com/cake-swiss-roll.
https://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/rachel-allen/swiss-roll-2012199