William Orpen
William Orpen's portrait of Eugene Grossrieter (“Chester”), second chef at the Hotel Chatham, Paris, in 1921 made him his name and fortune. The artist was inspired by Velázquez and Manet, but he elevated the working man by portraying him with a swagger and authority equal to any nobleman. According to the Royal Academy of Arts, the painting "is a tour de force of monumental portraiture." And it is hard not to agree with this opinion! The crisp white folds of the chef's uniform, the still-life of bottle and wine and the chops are all painted with dazzling technique set against a dark background.
There is a funny story with Grossrieter's nickname. His colleagues named him after the Chester cheese because he disliked cheese (how can you dislike cheese!?). As a frequent visitor to the Chatham Hotel, Orpen was struck by the artistic potential of Chester’s face and figure. The chef is set against a dark background and he stands out in his double-buttoned pristine white jacket with a pleated toque jauntily poised on his head. The face, beard and still-life elements reveal incredible detail such as the reflections in the bottle and the glass. Contrary to any expectations that the bottle might contain red wine for cooking; it is a bottle of stout (a type of dark beer) that Chester drank to keep cool in the kitchen.
P.S. Here are more cooks and cooking in pictures, and here is something special - CHEESE in art!!! <3