La Soupe de Daguerre (The Soup of Daguerre) 1974

Curator: Marcel Broodthaers' piece, "La Soupe de Daguerre," dating from 1974. It’s comprised of watercolour and gouache, quite playful. Editor: My first thought? It’s charmingly retro, like a page from a faded cookbook. Sort of makes you smile, doesn't it? But also…organized almost to the point of sterile! Curator: Indeed, and Broodthaers here subtly engages with questions about art and its commodification. The arrangement of the food items echoes photographic practices, alluding to Daguerre, a pioneer of photography himself, whose name literally means 'of Daguerre' when translated to English, while raising questions about how we assign value to art through its representation. Editor: So, it's a bit like…art ingredients? He’s giving us the pieces of a puzzle, food perhaps to nourish our critical thoughts about art itself! He clearly used watercolors with intention, too; everything appears pastel soft. I want to add these visuals in my shopping cart! Curator: Yes, exactly! Broodthaers used everyday objects, these somewhat commonplace food items, but presents them within a framework of art history and critique, blurring boundaries, suggesting that art is constructed from familiar elements, re-presented to us anew. Think about semiotics, the structuralist theories of the time…it’s all interwoven here. It asks us how photography changed representation. Editor: I was so involved in imagining this for a vintage cookbook and almost missed the serious intellectual food for thought. But this artwork serves to prove food illustration could be something so delicious! What a concept and delightful subversion. Curator: Absolutely! The layering of seemingly simple visuals actually provokes discourse around cultural and artistic value. I find that contrast in meaning and materiality remarkable, what about you? Editor: Art continues to startle me with all its capacity. That little jolt of surprise, always amazing and needed! Curator: I fully agree; I am leaving inspired to start looking at produce with entirely new eyes.