“The aesthetic experience is a simple beholding of the object . . . you experience a radiance. You are held in aesthetic arrest.” - Joseph Campbell
Aesthetic Arrest is our weekly dip into the Epicurean pleasures we’ve been enjoying lately. Cheers to that!
Ryan Wildstar’s Recommendations:
Reading: The Pocket Epicurean by John Sellars
Listening: To Those Who Came Before Us by Joseph Tawadros
Looking: The Art of Wilhelm Kotarbiński
Viewing: Caravaggio (1986) — classic film about the life of painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (born today!), directed by Derek Jarman, starring Nigel Terry, Sean Bean & Tilda Swinton
Tasting: Late-Night Dinner at 200 Gradi (Duecentogradi) [200 Degrees] in Rome, Italy
Ryan Elston’s Recommendations:
Reading: Stomping the Blues by Albert Murray
Listening: Wynton Marsalis Plays Louis Armstrong’s Hot Fives and Hot Sevens
Looking: The Art of Victoria Villasana
Mexican Textile Artist Victoria Villasana Believes Creation Is Vital to Self-Growth (via Observer)
Embroidered cultural heroes – in pictures (via The Guardian)
Viewing: Caravaggio (1986) — classic film about the life of painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (born today!), directed by Derek Jarman, starring Nigel Terry, Sean Bean & Tilda Swinton
Tasting: El Maìz – Venezuelan Street Food (Rome, Italy)
That’s it for this week! But we want the dinner party to continue! So each week we are asking a “dinner party” question for everyone joining us here at our table. Last week, we asked: “What’s one of YOUR favorite portraits?” Here are some of the great responses from the comments:
Ryan Wildstar chose The Desperate Man (Le Désespéré) by Gustave Courbet!
Ryan Elston chose Portrait of a Seamstress by Annibale Carracci!
kde chose Amy Sherald's Portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama! (with a special shout-out to Kehinde Wiley’s Portrait of President Barack Obama!)
Thank you, kde, for your wonderful response! (By the way, we're recording a few days early this week because we have a very full schedule here in Rome, so if we didn't give your favorite portrait a shout-out it's because we haven't seen your comment yet!
At any rate, that was last week . . . but we don't want this week's dinner party to end either!
So here is this week's question for the table:
This week we waxed poetic about some seriously next-level Italian sandwiches & Venezuelan street food here in Rome!
So, our question for the table this week is:
What’s YOUR favorite street food? And most importantly, which city does it best?
Tell us your choice in the comments and we’ll share some of your responses on next week’s podcast!
Also, don't forget to stop by The Epicurean Vagabonds Substack on Wednesdays, to check out our revamped Mid-Week Libations! Now with audio segments featuring Ryan & Ryan!
And thank you for joining us for Season Two of Aesthetic Arrest!
Cheers to that!
Aesthetic Arrest Podcast: Stomping the Blues, Victoria Villasana, Joseph Tawadros & Next-Level Street Food in Rome!