• The Purpose of Art, in Response to Oscar Wilde

    The Purpose of Art, in Response to Oscar Wilde

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    Fay’s Christmas Painting, 1958John Altoon (American, 1925-1969) In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde famously ends his preface with the line, “All art is quite useless.” At first glance, this may suggest that art has no place in practical life. After all, it’s food and water we survive on. But art is not about…

  • Telling the Bees – Bees Symbolism and Folklore

    Telling the Bees – Bees Symbolism and Folklore

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    Bees are intelligent little insects, crucial for the environment and present in mythology, folklore, customs, and literature. Here we propose a recount of some interesting stories, traditions, and symbolism surrounding these little yellow and black insects. Telling the bees Among the many traditions of the world, one of the most interesting involves keeping the bees…

  • Did We Really Hide Treasures in Caves? | Treasures and literature of caves

    Did We Really Hide Treasures in Caves? | Treasures and literature of caves

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    Hubert Robert, The Mouth of a Cave (1784)The Metropolitan Museum of Art Through darkness, humidity, legend and uneasiness, caves have become a column of humanity’s history and literature. But did they ever really hide treasures, as folklore suggests? Caves: Myth and Shelter In popular folklore, caves were often considered gateways to other worlds: those who…

  • Preserving the Past to Feed the Future: Ancient Techniques in the Modern Kitchen

    Preserving the Past to Feed the Future: Ancient Techniques in the Modern Kitchen

    In the intricate ballet of today’s culinary world, where the newest gadgets and trending diets  often steal the spotlight, there’s a quiet revolution happening in our kitchens. It’s not about  the latest molecular gastronomy technique or an airlift of some superfood from some remote corner of the Earth. Instead, it’s about rediscovering ancient methods of…