One of the hallmarks of 19th century Parisian art was Impressionism. Impressionism is defined by its realism; instead of focusing on the perfection that so many generations of earlier artists had focused on, impressionists instead painted what they saw, as they saw it, with all its imperfections. This reflected a major change in the general culture towards art. Instead of wanting to focus on the superficial perfection that earlier artists strived for, Impressionists instead realized that what was important was right in front of them, and, borrowing Baudelaire’s expression, focused on distilling the eternal from the transitory. Distilling the eternal meant having rough edges instead of perfectly shaped figures.

This image depicts a stack of pancakes, topped with butter, and then covered in maple syrup. As anyone who is a fan of pancakes or maple syrup can tell you the most common advertisement for pancakes is a photo just like this one. However, my photo differs in several important ways. While the typical pancake photo is highly staged, using advanced lighting and cameras to find the best angle, and fake food to ensure the best-looking product, my image is real. Furthermore, this image attempts to tell us something. There is something familiar to this image, everyone has eaten pancakes, everyone can imagine how wonderful of a feeling it is to wake up in the morning and smell freshly made pancakes in the air. To me this image conjures home and family, a life where all is well and there is peace in the air. It is fitting to mention how this photo comments on the current atmosphere as it was taken during the corona-virus pandemic. This image is a reassurance to me that things are going to be OK. I still have a home and a family and so much to be grateful for. Maybe, just maybe, we could all use this time to reflect on just what makes your house a home, and to be thankful for the simple things we have, like pancakes, butter, and syrup.