It is spring and so the trees are in bloom, you see the first green shoots coming out of the branches and Magnolia trees are in bloom. This reminds us of a work by Wilhelm List. At the turn of the century, painting flourished and List was certainly influenced by Impressionism. He was involved with Klimt in the Vienna secession and co-founder of Art Nouveau in that city.

In this painting, which was made in 1900, the details in the background are not elaborated and the strokes of the grass are as Van Gogh would paint them. The tree is very detailed. The flowers look so easy to pick as if they were a photo. Photography had a major influence on art at that time. We love the level of detail, partly because we can fill it in with our eyes.

You can make magnolia water and magnolia ice from the magnolia flower. Below is the recipe for the latter. Once ready, we suggest that you drape it on a plate with a painter's palette knife and garnish it with grapes and some loose leaves of the Magnolia flower.

Magnolia ice cream with grapes

• 50 grams of magnolia petals
• 250 ml whole milk
• 250 ml whipped cream
• 6 egg yolks
• 100 grams of sugar
• 150 grams of grapes for garnish

Immerse the magnolia in the milk and cream and let it steep overnight. Make sure the magnolia remains submerged. Bring to the boil in a thick-bottomed pan while stirring, then immediately strain out the magnolia, otherwise the ice will become bitter. Mix the egg yolks with the sugar until fluffy and add to the still warm milk mixture. Heat the whole thing without it boiling (and solidifying). If it becomes a bit lumpy, remove it from the heat. Now let the mixture cool. If you have one you can use an ice cream maker. You can also put the mixture in the freezer and stir every 30 minutes until the desired thickness is achieved.