Aesop Commissioning an Artist to Paint with Smell: A Journey of the Senses

Source: Aesop

Imagine stepping into an art gallery where the air itself is the canvas, where lavender whispers of summer, smoke recalls a winter fire, and honey glimmers golden in the light. This was the vision behind Aesop commissioning an artist to paint with smell, a challenge that defied tradition and awakened the senses.

Aesop, famed for fables that revealed hidden truths, understood that stories are not only told, they are felt. By asking an artist to create with scent, he invited the world to experience art in a way that was intimate, emotional, and unforgettable.

The Unlikely Request: Why Aesop Commissioned an Artist to Paint with Smell

At first glance, the request seemed absurd. Paint with smell? How could fragrance, something invisible and fleeting, be trapped on canvas?

But Aesop knew what few dared to say aloud: smell is memory’s keeper. It clings to moments long forgotten. The aroma of fresh bread recalls childhood kitchens. The salt of the sea brings back the first taste of freedom. By harnessing scent, the artist could weave stories deeper than brushstrokes alone could tell.

This was no simple commission, it was an experiment in the alchemy of the senses.

The Artist Behind Aesop’s Unusual Commission

The artist Aesop chose was no ordinary painter. He was known not for bold strokes or lifelike portraits, but for his obsession with the unseen. While others ground pigments into powders, he distilled herbs and flowers into fragrant oils. Where others sharpened brushes, he gathered cinnamon bark, crushed rose petals, and collected the smoke of burning cedar.

To Aesop, this was the perfect partner for an impossible task. If anyone could paint with what could not be seen, it was an artist who had already learned to translate scent into memory.

From Fable to Reality: Aesop Meets Jack Coulter

This ancient parable found a striking echo in modern times when Aesop, the skincare and fragrance house, commissioned synesthete artist Jack Coulter to create artworks inspired by scent.

Coulter, who lives with synesthesia, perceives smells and sounds as colours. For him, fragrance is not abstract but tangible—a wave of hues that flows across his mind’s eye. Lavender may bloom as violet clouds, citrus may crackle as golden sparks, and earthy spices may settle into deep browns and reds.

In this collaboration, Aesop entrusted Coulter with translating fragrance into visual form. Just as Aesop’s fables gave life to animals and objects to reveal truth, Coulter gave life to scents, rendering them in colour, movement, and shape.

It was as if Aesop’s mythical experiment had leapt across centuries, reimagined through the lens of contemporary art and sensory storytelling.

The Power of the Senses in Storytelling and Art

Aesop’s daring request, ancient or modern, was more than art. It was philosophy. It asked: What if every sense could speak on the canvas?

Smell: The Invisible Paintbrush

The artist gathered herbs, spices, and perfumes, each chosen for the story it whispered. Jasmine became joy, sandalwood calm, cinnamon warmth. Each scent was a brushstroke, painting not with pigment but with emotion.

Sight: Translating Fragrance into Colour

Fragrance found its form in colours. Mint glowed green, roses burned crimson, and smoke curled into gray swirls. The painting shimmered with a secret code, readable only through the language of memory.

Sound: How Music Guided the Artist’s Strokes

As he worked, lyre music filled the studio. Rhythm became brushstrokes, melodies shaped patterns. Sound and scent danced together, fusing into a harmony of senses.

Touch: Textures that Captured Emotion

The canvas was not smooth but alive. Rough strokes captured the grit of earth, while silk-like textures mirrored delicate blossoms. Art could now be felt as well as seen.

Taste: Hints of Flavour in a Visual Work

Drops of honey, crushed herbs, and dried citrus peel left traces on the canvas. Viewers could almost taste the sweetness and bitterness woven into the artwork, a reminder of life’s full flavour.

The Artist’s Process: Painting Beyond the Visible

The process became a translation of senses, one feeding into another. Smell turned to sight, taste into texture, sound into form. What emerged was not just a painting but a living fable, a story you could breathe, touch, and remember long after leaving the room.

Lessons from Aesop’s Experiment in Sensory Creativity

From this unusual commission, timeless lessons emerged:

• Art has no boundaries. Creativity thrives when freed from convention.

• Memory lives in the senses. What we smell, taste, or hear lingers long after the moment.

• Innovation is born from courage. From myth to modern brand collaborations, bold ideas change how we experience art.

In a digital age dominated by visuals, Aesop’s story feels prophetic. He reminds us that creativity isn’t confined to the eye, it belongs to every sense.

• For artists, it’s a call to expand the palette beyond colour.

• For writers, it’s a reminder to craft words that stir taste, touch, and sound.

• For designers and creators, it’s proof that the strongest connections happen when people don’t just see your work—they feel it.

In essence, Aesop commissioning an artist, whether mythic or modern, reminds us that creativity is limitless.

The Uncommon Breed

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