“The aesthetic experience is a simple beholding of the object . . . you experience a radiance. You are held in aesthetic arrest.” - Joseph Campbell
Aesthetic Arrest: Mid-Week Libation
Wildstar’s Wednesday Libation: Domaine Vincent Carême Vouvray Sec (Loire, France)
Reading: The Book of Salt by Monique Truong
“A novel of Paris in the 1930s from the eyes of the Vietnamese cook employed by Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, by the author of The Sweetest Fruits. Viewing his famous mesdames and their entourage from the kitchen of their rue de Fleurus home, Binh observes their domestic entanglements while seeking his own place in the world. In a mesmerizing tale of yearning and betrayal, Monique Truong explores Paris from the salons of its artists to the dark nightlife of its outsiders and exiles. She takes us back to Binh's youthful servitude in Saigon under colonial rule, to his life as a galley hand at sea, to his brief, fateful encounters in Paris with Paul Robeson and the young Ho Chi Minh.” [Source]
“An irresistible, scrupulously engineered confection that weaves together history, art, and human nature…a veritable feast.”— Los Angeles Times
“A fascinating, original, and sharply written story with vivid insights into the world of cooking.” — Jacques Pépin
Listening: Silver Shade by Peter Murphy
“Peter Murphy, gothic oracle, sonic shapeshifter, and high priest of art-damaged decadence, has stormed out of the crypt with a record so alive it practically kicks you in the teeth for assuming he had mellowed…. It doesn't just give long-time fans something to chew on—it challenges them to shed their nostalgia and meet Murphy in the present. …In a world obsessed with youthful spectacle and algorithmic sameness, Murphy emerges as a necessary anomaly, an elder alchemist proving that real creativity doesn't retire—it roars.” — Joe Daly [Source]
Peter Murphy’s New Album Is a Grand, Baroque Defiance You Can Dance To (via Spin)
Peter Murphy – Silver Shade: Baritone of the Beast, Prophet of the Now (via Joe Daly)
Looking: The Art of Lavett Ballard — including her current exhibition, Lavett Ballard: The People Who Could Fly
“Lavett Ballard is a Mixed Media Visual Artist, Art Historian, Curator, and Author. … Her current body of work uses collaged photos adorned with paint, oil pastels, and metallic foils. These photos are deconstructed and layered on reclaimed large and small aged wood fences. The use of fences is a symbolic reference to how fences keep people in and out, just as racial and gender identities can do the same socially. This fusion of wood and photography offers artwork that both explores her southern roots, yet visually speaks volumes to continuing themes within her community.” [Source]
Check out the current exhibition, Lavett Ballard: The People Who Could Fly, at Rowan University Art Gallery & Museum in Glassboro, NJ (on view until May 24, 2025!)
Rowan University Art Gallery presents Lavett Ballard: The People Who Could Fly (via New Jersey Stage)
Viewing #1: A Nice Indian Boy (2024) — directed by Roshan Sethi (based on Madhuri Shekar's play of the same name), starring Karan Soni & Jonathan Groff
“When Naveen (Karan Soni), a soft-spoken doctor, finally brings his charming white-artist-fiancé Jay (Jonathan Groff) home to meet his traditional Indian family, comic misunderstandings and emotional revelations quickly put everyone on edge. With the family now at odds and forced to face some uncomfortable truths about their relationships as well as their own ideas of love and marriage, they attempt to plan the big Indian wedding of Naveen and Jay’s dreams.” [Source]
'A Nice Indian Boy' Is The Rom-Com We've Been Waiting For - The film has a love story to root for — and will make you laugh along the way. (via HuffPost)
'A Nice Indian Boy' Review: LGBTQ+ Indian American Rom-Com Hits All the Right Marks (via MovieWeb)
A Nice Indian Boy: Karan Soni & Roshan Sethi On Casting Eternals' Harish Patel, SRK Moment, & More (via ComicBookMovie)
Viewing #2: Carême — TV series created & written by Ian Kelly & Davide Serino, directed by Martin Bourboulon, starring Benjamin Voisin, Lyna Khoudri & Jérémie Renier (Apple TV+)
“Witness the rise of the world’s first celebrity chef, Antonin Carême, and his descent into espionage in Napoleon-era France—where manipulation is king. With his gifts for gastronomy and seduction, he becomes the perfect weapon in a fight for power.” [Source]
Carême review – a sexy French romp about a chef who’s too spicy to handle: It’s hard to resist this moreish story about Napoleon’s renegade pastry chef (who is also a spy). Orgies, opium and tantalising fun with whipped cream are all on the menu (via The Guardian)
Carême Review: Apple TV+'s Steamy Culinary Period Piece Will Absolutely Seduce You With Every Twist (via ScreenRant)
Tasting: The Life & Recipes of “The Father of French Gastronomy” aka Antonin Carême
“Cuisinier, architect, and one of the most prolific writers of the 19th century, Carême was the founder of a classic cuisine that would influence generations of chefs. In this well-researched book, Ian Kelly deftly recounts the exploits of this remarkable man.” — Jacques Pépin
To learn more about Antonin Carême’s fascinating life (including the recipes for many of his famous dishes), check out the newly reissued biography (which inspired the new TV series on Apple TV+), Carême: The First Celebrity Chef, by Ian Kelly (who is also the TV show’s co-creator & co-writer):
“The recipes alone make this a must-have for anyone interested in the subject of food or culinary history. A treasure trove of lush details and grim realities that takes the reader right back to the origins of what is today a glamour profession.” — Anthony Bourdain
How A Destitute, Abandoned Parisian Boy Became The First Celebrity Chef (via NPR)
Antonin Carême - The Most Influential Chef in the History of French Cuisine (via Behind the French Menu)
So that’s it for this week! But we’d like to end with this week’s words of wisdom, a quotation from legendary writer and creator of Tales of the City, Armistead Maupin, who just turned 81 yesterday! Happy Birthday Armistead Maupin!
This Week’s Words of Wisdom: Armistead Maupin (born May 13, 1944)
Thank you for joining us for Season 3 of Aesthetic Arrest!
Cheers to that!
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