From the decadent edible sculptures of Louis XIV's court to the landscaped plates of today, food has always been an artistic medium. Still, few think of the intersection of sustenance and aesthetics as much as San Antonio-born painter, sculptor, and culinary historian Rolando Briseño.
From September 5 through February 9, that legacy will be honored at a new show at Centro de Artes Gallery in Market Square. Dining with Rolando Briseño: A 50-Year Retrospective is the first career review for the prolific 72-year-old artist who has dedicated his creative life to capturing the culinary and cultural story of Mexican-Americans.
Although Briseño's studies took him to Peru, Mexico, and New York City, he has deep San Antonio ties. His earliest art classes were at the Witte Museum, and he was a member of the influential local Con Safo art collective. The city is also where he developed his uniquely gastronomic point of view.
A work by Rolando Briseño illustrating a table setting.Photo courtesy of City of San Antonio Department of Arts & Culture
His first thoughts of food revolved around his family's dinner table. Later, he discovered the spectacle of Mexican fine dining. The formative experiences helped him form a powerful metaphor, likening tables to culture and culinary creations to nature.
His most famous output, the early Tablescapes series of paintings, was inspired by observing his fellow Columbia University students' dining habits. Surprised that so many dined in front of the television, Briseño began exploring the intersection of technology and culture through an often visionary lens.
Selections from that series will be displayed at the Centro de Artes show, including 75 works arranged in 10 sections. Patrons can consider drawings, lithographs, paintings, and photographs made from 1966 to the present, including those rescued from a 1985 house fire.
This work depicts Xochipilli and mentions achiote.Photo courtesy of City of San Antonio Department of Arts & Culture
Like all of the downtown gallery's shows, the retrospective will have free entry — dovetailing with the artist's ethos. Briseño believes art is a part of the urban fabric, and his works should be readily available to the general public.
More information about Dining with Rolando Briseño is available at sa.gov.
Mariela Camacho, Comadre Panaderia.
Courtesy photo