Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Why substitute sugar with maple syrup?


A new study published in the The Journal of Nutrition, found that substituting two tablespoons of pure maple syrup for refined sugars reduced several cardiometabolic risk factors in humans.  It was the first placebo-controlled clinical trial exploring potential health benefits of maple syrup in humans.

“We know from decades of research that maple syrup is more than just sugar. It contains over 100 natural compounds, including polyphenols, that are known to prevent disease in part through their anti-inflammatory effects,” remarked Dr. André Marette, PhD, and lead scientist on the study.  “Because the fundamental chemistry of maple syrup is unique, I wondered if ingesting maple syrup instead of an equivalent amount of refined sugar would differently impact the cardiometabolic health and the intestinal microbiota in humans.  The results were extremely encouraging. I did not expect to see so many improvements of risk factors within a relatively short treatment period.”   

The study was conducted by a Laval University team led by Dr. André Marette, PhD, at the Quebec Heart and Lung Institute and Dr. Marie-Claude Vohl, PhD, at the Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods.

Study Protocol

Forty-two volunteers from the greater Québec city area, between the ages of 18-75 in good health, and with a BMI of 23-40, participated in the study. Participants substituted 5% of their daily caloric intake (corresponding to 2 tablespoons) from refined sugars with either Canadian maple syrup or an artificially flavored sucrose syrup. Each phase lasted 8 weeks with participants switching between maple syrup and sucrose syrup groups after a four-week washout period. The cross-over design ensured that the same test subject was his or her own control, consuming both placebo and maple syrup. Primary outcomes focused on the oral glucose tolerance test, the OGTT.  Secondary outcomes included changes in blood lipid profile, blood pressure, body fat composition (measured by DEXA scan) and changes in gut microbiota composition.  

Maple, the Smarter Sweetener, Improves Multiple Cardiometabolic Risk Factors

Blood Sugar Lowered

Study participants who consumed pure maple syrup had an improved response to the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) than those who received a flavored syrup of refined sugar. Their bodies managed blood sugar levels better after eating (-50.59 vs. +29.93).

Blood Pressure Lowered

Blood pressure was also lowered in the subjects who consumed maple syrup during the trial.  Systolic blood pressure decreased significantly in the maple syrup group (-2.72 mm Hg) while it increased slightly in the sucrose group (+0.87 mm Hg). “Lowering blood pressure continues to be an important factor in lessening the risk of cardiovascular disease,” Dr. Marette commented. “Natural sweeteners, such as pure maple syrup, when substituted for refined sugars, can be part of an overall solution in helping to prevent metabolic diseases.”

Abdominal Fat Reduced

Visceral fat is the deep fat that wraps around the internal organs in your belly.  It can increase an individual’s risk of serious health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and stroke. The maple syrup trial showed that android fat mass, the fat in the abdominal region, significantly decreased in the maple syrup group as compared to an increase in the group consuming the sucrose solution (-7.83 g vs. +67.61 g).

Healthier Gut

An unexpected discovery was the improved levels of potentially beneficial gut bacteria and a decrease in levels of potentially harmful gut bacteria in the maple syrup participants. The study showed a reduction in Klebsiella species and Bacteroides pectinophilus, which are linked to inflammation and metabolic disorders, and the increased growth of beneficial bacteria like Lactocaseibacillus casei and Clostridium beijerinckii.

“Both individually and collectively, the study findings are quite significant,” Dr. Marette noted.  “The combined decrease of such key risk factors may help to reduce the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Making a commitment to lifestyle changes and small adjustments to our everyday diets is important and can be a powerful tool in preventing future diseases.”

According to one participant: “Before the study, I would consume pure maple products regularly but not consistently. I have always enjoyed it. Today my routine is to replace refined sugars with 2 tablespoons of pure Canadian maple syrup daily.”

First Human Trial Builds Upon American Researcher’s Cellular and Animal Studies

Dr. Marette’s clinical study builds upon his own work in animal models of diabetes and previous work on maple syrup and its bioactives by  American scientist Navindra P. Seeram, PhD, of the University of Rhode Island, College of Pharmacy. Dr. Seeram’s extensive foundational work with maple syrup set the stage for this first human clinical trial. “With each new study, we learn more benefits that natural products from medicinal plants and functional foods, like maple syrup, provide.” noted Dr. Seeram. “The significant promising results of this first human trial provide more reasons for us to educate consumers about maple syrup’s many health benefits. It is truly a ‘smarter sweetener’ and a healthier alternative to refined sugar.”

“While this study was limited to a relatively small sample size (42 men and women) and took place during a relatively short duration of time, the results are still significant,” Dr. Marette remarked.  “We now have human evidence to support replacing refined sugars with maple syrup, a natural sweetener, for preventing metabolic diseases.  Our next goal is to conduct larger studies with other populations to explore how replacing refined sugars with maple syrup might impact their unique health conditions.”     

General nutrition claims for 2 tablespoons of maple syrup:

  • Excellent source of manganese (35%).
  • Good source of riboflavin (15%).
  • Source of calcium (2%), thiamin (2%), potassium (2%) and copper (8%).
  • It contains 12% fewer calories than in light corn syrup.
  • By comparison, refined sugar requires a large amount of processing and therefore lacks any real nutritional value. 

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Paula Modersohn-Becker: I Am Me

 Art Institute of Chicago

October 12, 2024 through January 12, 2025


Self Portrait With Two Flowers In Her Raised Left Hand Press 300ppi 3000px Srgb Jpeg

Paula Modersohn-Becker. Self-Portrait with Two Flowers in Her Raised Left Hand, 1907. Jointly owned by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Gift of Debra and Leon Black, and Neue Galerie New York, Gift of Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder.

The Art Institute of Chicago has announced Paula Modersohn-Becker: I Am Me, on view from October 12, 2024 through January 12, 2025. This exhibition marks Modersohn-Becker’s first museum retrospective in the United States. Showing the full range of her achievement over her career, the exhibition includes more than 50 paintings, 15 large-scale drawings, and five etchings.

Paula Modersohn-Becker charted her own path in turn-of-the-century Germany. Her frank portrayals of the bodily experiences of motherhood, pregnancy, youth, and old age introduced a bold perspective not often seen in early 20th-century art. The introspective Modersohn-Becker painted herself many times, including in the first nude self-portraits known to have been made by a woman.

“This exhibition is much anticipated and long overdue. It will allow visitors to see first-hand Modersohn-Becker’s forceful works of art, ones that have solidified her posthumous place as a feminist icon,” said Jay A. Clarke, Rothman Family Curator, Prints and Drawings. “The timeless images she created of young women in forest settings envisioned a deep affinity between the landscape and its occupants, viewing their identities as intimately intertwined. Her portraits, self-portraits, and figure paintings captured the inner essence of her subjects and depicted the female body frankly and knowingly.”

Modersohn-Becker’s innovative style, which emphasized expression over representation, placed her at the forefront of experimental art in Europe as she approached subjects such as figure drawing, landscape, still-life, and portraiture.

Together her works, and the exhibition’s title, which comes from one of Modersohn-Becker’s letters, show an artist deeply invested in both artistic and personal expression and self-determination.

Paula Modersohn-Becker: I Am Me is curated by the Art Institute of Chicago’s Jay A. Clarke, Rothman Family Curator, Prints and Drawings, and Jill Lloyd, independent scholar, Neue Galerie New York.

This exhibition is organized by the Art Institute of Chicago and Neue Galerie New York.


Paula Modersohn-Becker
(1876-1907)
Upper Body of a Woman Leaning toward the Left, Alongside a Small Sketch of the Same Motif, 1898
Charcoal on paper
© Paula-Modersohn-Becker-Stiftung, Bremen


Paula Modersohn-Becker
(1876-1907)
Sheep in the Birch Forest, 1903
Oil tempera on cardboard
Meadows Museum of Art at Centenary College, Shreveport, Louisiana



Paula Modersohn-Becker
(1876-1907)
Girl Blowing a Flute in the Birch Forest, 1905
Oil tempera on canvas
© Paula-Modersohn-Becker-Stiftung, Bremen



Paula Modersohn-Becker
(1876-1907)
Standing and Kneeling Nude Girls in Front of Poppies II, 1906
Oil tempera on canvas
Lübecker Museen, Museum Behnhaus Drägerhaus gestiftet aus der Sammlung Dr. Kurt Wünsche, Zwickau
© Paula-Modersohn-Becker-Stiftung, Bremen



Paula Modersohn-Becker
(1876-1907)
Portrait of Rainer Maria Rilke, 1906
Oil tempera on cardboard mounted on wood
Paula-Modersohn-Becker-Stiftung, Bremen, on loan from a Private Collection
© Paula-Modersohn-Becker-Stiftung, Bremen



Paula Modersohn-Becker
(1876-1907)
Self-Portrait with Blue Glass, ca. 1902
Oil tempera on cardboard
Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, acquired in 1968, formerly Hugo Borst Collection
© Paula-Modersohn-Becker-Stiftung, Bremen



Paula Modersohn-Becker
(1876-1907)
Still-Life with Clay Jug, Peonies, and Oranges, May/June 1906
Oil tempera on cardboard
Kunsthandel Wolfgang Werner, Bremen/Berlin
© Paula-Modersohn-Becker-Stiftung, Bremen



Paula Modersohn-Becker
(1876-1907)
Kneeling Mother with Child at Her Breast, 1906
Oil tempera on canvas mounted on wood
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Nationalgalerie Berlin
© Paula-Modersohn-Becker-Stiftung, Bremen

Saturday, November 16, 2024

Gallen-Kallela, Klimt & Wien

Ateneum Art Museum - Helsinki, Finland

6 September 2025–1 February 2026

Akseli Gallen-Kallela and the Secessionists met in early 20th-century Vienna 

The young artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries wanted to make a radical break away from old art ideals and move towards a new, freer conception of art. The most famous example of such a departure is the Vienna Secession, which was founded in 1897 under the direction of Gustav Klimt

The Gallen-Kallela, Klimt & Wien exhibition is about the Secessionists with whom Akseli Gallen-Kallela collaborated and in whose exhibitions he participated. The pulsating art scene of 20th-century Vienna and the integration of various international influences in the form of ideas and styles are highlighted in this exhibition, which features both modern art and modern design. At the same time, the exhibition marks the first showing of Klimt’s paintings in Finland. 

The main goal of the Secessionists was the equality of all art forms. Visual art, architecture, crafts, design and fashion were to represent a changed and modern world. The Secessionists were united by the development of a new identity and way of life, as well as an interest in monumentalism and the depiction of beauty. Secessionism was not a unified art movement, but it rather incorporated a broad array of styles, such as art nouveau, symbolism and impressionism. Women could not become official members of the Vienna Secession, but they participated in exhibitions and played a significant role as reformists. 


The exhibition features works, for example, by the following artists and designers: Emilie Flöge, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Ferdinand Hodler, Josef Hoffmann, Gustav Klimt, Broncia Koller-Pinell, Max Kurzweil, Elena Luksch-Makowsky, Koloman Moser, and Edvard Munch

The Gallen-Kallela, Klimt & Wien exhibition has been created in collaboration with the Belvedere Museum, Vienna. 


The exhibition is curated by the chief curator at the Ateneum, Anu Utriainen in cooperation with Arnika Groenewald-Schmidt, PhD (Belvedere Museum). The exhibition catalogue is published in Finnish, Swedish and English.



Gustav Klimt: Beethoven Frieze: The Hostile Forces - panel 1 and 2, front wall (1901/1902), Belvedere, Vienna. On permanent loan in the Secession Building, Vienna. Photo: Belvedere, Vienna. Copies of the mural will be on display at the exhibition.


Gustav Klimt: Beethoven Frieze: The Hostile Forces - panel 1 and 2, front wall (1901/1902), Belvedere, Vienna. On permanent loan in the Secession Building, Vienna. Photo: Belvedere, Vienna. Copies of the mural will be on display at the exhibition.


Gustav Klimt: Mother with Two Children (Family), (1909/1910). Donation 2012 Peter Parzer, Belvedere, Vienna. Photo: Johannes Stoll / Belvedere, Vienna


Akseli Gallen-Kallela: Self-Portrait in Fresco (1894), Private Collection, deposit, Finnish National Gallery. Photo: Finnish National Gallery / Jenni Nurminen


Akseli Gallen-Kallela: Spring, study for the Jusélius Mausoleum frescoes (1903), detail. Sigrid Jusélius Collection, deposit, Finnish National Gallery. Photo: Finnish National Gallery / Jenni Nurminen



Gustav Klimt: Amalie Zuckerkandl (1917/1918). 1988 Widmung Vita & Gustav Künstler, Belvedere, Vienna. Photo: Johannes Stoll / Belvedere, Vienna

Old Master & 19th Century Paintings Evening Auction 4 December 2024

 Sorry for all the typos - source is Sotheby's preess Spanning Renaissance Italy, the Great Painters of the Baroque, Through to 18th-Century Aristocratic England and Leading 19th-Century Names:

  •  A Magnificent “Spanish Pointer” by George Stubbs *The Earliest of All of His Depictions of Dogs* 
  • Returning to Sotheby’s After Half a Century Rediscovered Paintings by Botticelli, Artemisia Gentileschi & Rubens 
  • A Unique Painting Reworked & Repainted by Gustav Klimt After His Artist Brother’s Untimely Death 

Mary Magdalen in meditation

Artemisia GenHleschi, Mary Magdalen in medita.on (esHmate: £2,000,000 – 3,000,000) An incisive storyteller, Artemisia Gen2leschi is known for her powerful depic2ons of women from history, and indeed her images of biblical heroines are among her most compelling crea2ons. Throughout her career she was drawn to paint Mary Magdalen, whose life of sin and repentance offered rich narra2ve poten2al. Never-before-seen at auc2on, this newly-iden2fied 1620s work depicts the Magdalen in a rugged coastal seGng that evokes the wilderness where she lived in solitude – referencing the saint’s sea voyage to the southern coast of France, where, according to legend, she sought refuge. With starkly contras2ng areas of light and dark and showing a bold approach to the arrangement of its female subject, the pain2ng blurs the boundaries between the sacred and the profane. 

The Holy Family with the young Saint John the Baptist

The auc2on also offers a recently rediscovered early work by her father, Orazio GenHleschi, The Holy Family with the young Saint John the Bap.st (esHmate: £300,000 – 400,000). It had remained unknown un2l its reappearance in 2023, when it was recognised as an important addi2on to the small body of the ar2st’s work on copper. 


The Virgin and Child enthroned

Sandro BoTcelli, The Virgin and Child enthroned (esHmate: £2,000,000 – 3,000,000) Acquired by Lady Wantage in 1904, this Floren2ne Renaissance pain2ng of the Virgin and Child by the young BoGcelli has remained in the same family collec2on for over a century. LiWle studied and largely known only from black and white photographs, the pain2ng was lost from view, its loca2on often listed incorrectly, and largely overlooked in more recent monographs and exhibi2ons. The composi2on of the work bears strong similari2es to BoGcelli’s Sant’Ambrogio altarpiece of circa 1470, which is now in the Uffizi – considered not only the ar2st’s first large-scale pain2ng but also one of his first altarpieces. Carried out on a smaller scale, this pain2ng was likely intended for a patron seeking an in2mate altarpiece for private devo2on. In the early 19th century, it was housed in the Convent of San Giuliano in Florence, and from there it went to a small chapel aWached to a group of farmhouses in a village near Florence, where it was venerated at a convalescent home for the sick. It then passed into the family of Giovanni Magherini Graziani. The pain2ng was sold by the celebrated Italian dealer, Elia Volpi, to Harriet Sarah Jones Loyd, Lady Wantage in May 1904 – and has been in her family since

The Spanish Pointer

 George Stubbs, The Spanish Pointer (esHmate: £1,500,000 – 2,000,000) This seminal pain2ng is the earliest and one of the most recognisable of all Stubbs’ depic2ons of dogs. Painted circa 1766-68, at the height of the ar2st’s career, it dates to the decade when Stubbs produced many of the pain2ngs for which he is most famous, including 



the National Gallery’s beloved Whistlejacket. The Spanish Pointer has only been exhibited once in the 250 years since it was painted and has only rarely appeared at auc2on. It is one of two versions of the subject by the ar2st – virtually iden2cal except for minor differences in the detail of the landscapes (the other is in the Neue Pinakothek, Munich, having passed into the collec2on of the Elector of Bavaria). This version was purchased from the ar2st, or perhaps commissioned, by the publisher, Thomas Bradford and served as the basis for the famous print, engraved by William WoolleW, published in 1768. Highly prized by sportsmen for their ability to locate and indicate the presence of game, par2cularly the partridge, pointers were first imported to England from the Con2nent at the beginning of the eighteenth-century. Stubbs faithfully captures the physiognomy of this now ex2nct ancestor of the breed which, through selec2ve crossing with na2ve types of dogs, would gradually evolve into the lighter, more broken coated pointer known today. It first appeared at auc2on in London in 1802, when it sold for £11. Not seen on the market for over half a century, its last appearance at sale was at Sotheby’s in 1972. 

Hanswurst Delivering an Impromptu Performance in Rothenburg

Gustav Klimt and Ernst Klimt, Hanswurst Delivering an Impromptu Performance in Rothenburg (esHmate: £300,000 – 500,000) An itera2on of Ernst Klimt’s, monumental decora2ve panel made for and adorning the grand staircase of the Burgtheater in Vienna, this easel version was started in 1892. In December of that year, Ernst – a talented and ambi2ous ar2st two years Gustav Klimt’s junior – died unexpectedly aged twenty-nine. This large-scale and highly detailed pain2ng was completed by his grief-stricken brother (the Klimt family had also lost their father in July). During this 2me of emo2onal upheaval Gustav produced fewer works and this example is therefore a rare pain2ng executed at the height of his successful Ringstrasse period. In the finished oil, some of the faces in the original ceiling composi2on have been replaced with new portraits of family members, including Klimt’s mother, sisters and his surviving brother Georg. The pain2ng reveals Gustav’s commitment to his brother’s legacy, and his kindness in suppor2ng his widowed sister-in-law and fivemonth-old niece. Signed Ernst Klimt by Gustav, it was exhibited under Ernst’s name in 1895 and sold to a private Viennese collector for 8400 guilders. It last appeared at auc2on at Sotheby’s in London in November 1984, and has remained in the same private collec2on since. 

The Virgin and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist


Rosso FiorenHno, The Virgin and Child with the Infant Saint John the Bap.st (esHmate: £2,000,000 – 3,000,000) A rediscovered masterpiece of Floren2ne Mannerism, this refined, vibrant, and characteris2cally eccentric Madonna and Child marks an important addi2on to the small corpus of surviving works by Rosso Fioren2no (1494–1540). Known only from black and white photographs un2l very recently, the picture was recognised by a key Floren2ne scholar and art historian, who in 2013 published it, though its whereabouts were s2ll untraced. Its reemergence now, and da2ng to between 1514 and 1517, allows for a greater apprecia2on of the ar2st's produc2on at a rela2vely early stage in his career. 

View full screen - View 1 of Lot 17. Los Caprichos.

 Francisco Goya, Los Caprichos (esHmate: £300,000 – 500,000) Goya’s Los Caprichos, published in 1799, stands as his graphic masterpiece, displaying astonishing pictorial and technical inven2on across 80 plates. Created in the context of reac2onary Spain and the ‘terrors’ of Revolu2onary France, Goya feared that these sa2rical depic2ons would lead to trouble with poli2cal and clerical powers. However, when Los Caprichos came to the aWen2on of the Inquisi2on, Goya was saved by his admirer King Charles IV, who in 1803 demanded the remaining sets and the plates from Goya, which he claimed ‘he had expressly asked him to make’, providing a pension for Goya’s son in return. This complete first edi2on set is par2cularly fine and early, prin2ng with atmospheric tones and drama2c chiaroscuro. 


MORE IMAGES

The Flagellation; Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane

1. Allgäu Master, mid-15th century

The Flagellation; Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane

Estimate:

30,000 - 50,000 GBP



A triptych: the Virgin of Sorrows and kneeling donor figures

2. Pieter Claeissens the Elder

A triptych: the Virgin of Sorrows and kneeling donor figures

Estimate:

150,000 - 200,000 GBP



The Virgin and Child

3. Giovanni Battista Salvi, called Sassoferrato

The Virgin and Child

Estimate:

60,000 - 80,000 GBP



An old man wearing a turban and a fur-lined coat, here identified as Annas (originally Christ before Annas)

4. Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, called Guercino

An old man wearing a turban and a fur-lined coat, here identified as Annas (originally Christ before Annas)

Estimate:

60,000 - 80,000 GBP



Moses striking the rock

5. Hendrick van Balen and Jan Brueghel the Elder and Workshop

Moses striking the rock

Estimate:

300,000 - 400,000 GBP



The Mystic Marriage of St Catherine

6. Sir Peter Paul Rubens

The Mystic Marriage of St Catherine

Estimate:

600,000 - 1,000,000 GBP



Head study of a bearded, elderly man in profile

7. Sir Peter Paul Rubens

Head study of a bearded, elderly man in profile

Estimate:

300,000 - 500,000 GBP



Winter landscape with a duck hunter and his dog, skaters on a frozen river, and a village beyond

8. Hendrick Avercamp

Winter landscape with a duck hunter and his dog, skaters on a frozen river, and a village beyond

Estimate:

100,000 - 150,000 GBP



Christ Crucified between the two Thieves: 'The Three Crosses'

9. Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn

Christ Crucified between the two Thieves: 'The Three Crosses'

Estimate:

400,000 - 600,000 GBP



River estuary with sailing boats on the water and a town in the distance

10. Salomon van Ruysdael

River estuary with sailing boats on the water and a town in the distance

Estimate:

300,000 - 400,000 GBP



Old woman seated with a young girl before a window

11. Jacobus Vrel

Old woman seated with a young girl before a window

Estimate:

80,000 - 120,000 GBP



View of the beach at Egmond-aan-Zee

16. Jan van Goyen

View of the beach at Egmond-aan-Zee

Estimate:

100,000 - 150,000 GBP



Self-portrait of the artist

18. Jacopo Amigoni

Self-portrait of the artist

Estimate:

60,000 - 80,000 GBP



Venice, the Bacino di San Marco looking east with the Punta della Dogana and San Giorgio Maggiore

19. Antonio Joli

Venice, the Bacino di San Marco looking east with the Punta della Dogana and San Giorgio Maggiore

Estimate:

80,000 - 120,000 GBP




Portrait of Maria Catherine (b. 1779) and Amelia Goddard (1781–1866)

21. Thomas Gainsborough, R.A.

Portrait of Maria Catherine (b. 1779) and Amelia Goddard (1781–1866)

Estimate:

400,000 - 600,000 GBP



Portrait of William Spencer Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire (1790–1858)

22. Sir Thomas Lawrence, P.R.A.

Portrait of William Spencer Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire (1790–1858)

Estimate:

300,000 - 500,000 GBP



Portrait of a Maratha Chief

23. Robert Home

Portrait of a Maratha Chief

Estimate:

200,000 - 300,000 GBP



Hunters Lying in Wait for a Lion

24. Eugène Delacroix

Hunters Lying in Wait for a Lion

Estimate:

700,000 - 900,000 GBP



In her boudoir

25. Osman Hamdy Bey

In her boudoir

Estimate:

800,000 - 1,200,000 GBP