Cultural Context

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With Irritable Bowel Syndrome, there are specific foods that individuals will need to remove from their diets to avoid flare-ups. Food is the primary focus for IBS sufferers, it teases and tempts us, causing undesirable symptoms. In Renaissance painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo paintings, food is the main focus of his surrealist art and represents this problematic relationship with food. Food is intertwined with us; we need it to survive. For IBS suffered food is consciously and subconsciously in our thoughts, especially when planning the next meal. Quite literally food is the self, and we cannot escape this and sometimes feel trapped by it.
 

(Arcimboldo, 1566 - 1591)

‘The Gardener’ is a clever piece of artwork. On appearance this painting is a bowl of vegetables but upside-down is a portrait made from vegetables. It has been theorised that, ‘signals from the brain to the gut play a critical role in maintaining optimal digestive function, reflex regulation of the GI tract, and modulation of mood states.’ (IBS and Serotonin | Gastrointestinal Society, n.d.) Therefore, if the brain sends incorrect signals to the gut, this could cause IBS symptoms. In theory, this neurological problem displays similarities to the illusion of the bowl of vegetables.

Arcimboldo, G., 1590. The Gardener. [Oil on panel].

Arcimboldo, G., 1590. Four Seasons In One Head. [Oil on panel].

Arcimboldo, G., 1591. Vertumnus. [Oil on panel].

Arcimboldo, G., 1566. Water. [Oil on panel].

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