CHENNAI : Chocolates and art — utterly extraneous! Rest your doubts and be assured that this is not about exotic recipes. Chocolates have often made their way into art galleries as sculptures or paintings in a multitude of versatile forms. They have appeared as the muse of some of the most famous artists in the world, alluring both the creator and the viewer with its dark brown aura. It’s time to discuss this sweet indulgence in all seriousness as World Chocolate Day was celebrated on July 7.
Often dubbed as man’s greatest culinary invention, its history dates back to 2,500 years. Bitter at first, the addition of sugar in the 16th century quickly ensured superstardom from its humble origins. In 2009, July 7 was declared as the day to annually celebrate all things chocolate and be grateful for its sweet existence.
The need to worship chocolate through art can be seen in the stunning vessels that the Aztecs made for what they considered the food of gods and in the chocolate pots used by the European royalty to savour hot chocolate. Picasso’s The Chocolate Pot from 1909 and Marcel Duchamp’s chocolate grinders brought these decorative objects into the realm of contemporary art.
Many artists went a step further to use chocolate as their medium to make their powerful statements. American artist, Janine Antoni, used a block of chocolate that weighed 272 kg, which she nibbled at for 45 days. In her work titled Gnaw (1992), she spat out the pulp everytime and made heart shaped boxes for the chocolates. This was her way of bringing attention to Bulimia, the eating disorder that plagues so many young women today, who chase unrealistic notions of the perfect body and succumb to a similar act of purging the food by vomiting.
Ed Ruscha’s Chocolate Room is the stuff of all our dreams. It was precisely what the title suggests; a room made of chocolate walls! Displayed at the 1970 Venice Biennale, the inner walls of the room were covered with 360 screen prints made with Nestle chocolate. A laborious process indeed, but it was a strong anti-establishment statement during the peak of the Vietnam War which could be interpreted as a commentary on the consumerist culture the world was heading towards. For after all, stepping into a room made of chocolate can only provoke the senses and induce greed.
Photographs to most of us translate as memories. Filling photo albums and smartphone storage, they are what is often left of a time or a person. Brazilian artist, Vik Muniz, played with just that when he created his Chocolate series in 1997. By remaking his photographs of chosen subjects using chocolate syrup, and once again photographing the results, he attempted to make the emotion of permanence that a normal photograph evokes to one of impermanence by using a perishable medium and then, once again turning it into a permanent work of art.
Why chocolate? Perhaps because it can be associated with the strongest of human emotions and art acknowledges the infinity of its layered meanings. And when it also pampers one’s sweet cravings, it is a perfect balance indeed!