MovieChat Forums > Mr. Turner (2014) Discussion > Reference to steak and kidney pie vice v...

Reference to steak and kidney pie vice veal and lamb pie?

posted 10 years ago by rembert-schofield
6 replies | jump to latest

Would someone like to help me understand this reference? Thank you.

[–] persistenceofvision 10 years ago

I just think this is JMW Turner being a windup merchant, letting John Ruskin (who he doesn't like) know he finds him pretentious. I don't think there's a reference as such, he's just trying to present himself as down-to-earth at Ruskin's expense.

[–] eamonn_keane 10 years ago

And that he cares very little about Ruskin's judgement.

[–] sorcery-central 10 years ago

It's about tastes. Art criticism and appreciation can be, and often is fully subjective.

[–] Carly_fan 10 years ago

It's like asking if someone likes hamburger or steak. Steak was expensive, lamb cheap. In a very class-conscious society, Turner was taking the mickey out of him for being such a pretentious, insufferable snob by implying he was low class in his artistic preferences.

[–] willcwhite 9 years ago

Hmm... I sort of took it as a hint about Ruskin's sexuality. Anybody else?

[–] Keely 9 years ago

I can understand why you ask but I doubt if it was a sexual reference. I think the previous posts explained it quite well.