Feasting on Art

In the last few weeks of September and the first few of October, the city of Munich holds a festival called Oktoberfest. The calendar is adjusted each year so that the festival will end on the first Sunday of October and this year is the 200th jubilee of the event. Revellers gather and enjoy hearty dishes ranging from sausages to sauerkraut and copious amounts of bier. The event is so popular that cities around the world hold celebrations to mark the occasion. I find that this recipe is best suited for any type of beer and would recommend using your favourite drop, as you are predisposed to already prefer the taste of the soup. I made the version depicted below with a light beer, Pure Blonde to be exact, and instantly wish I had used a stout to capitalise upon it’s sweet caramely flavours. It is also possible to swap the lemon juice with one of your preferred white wines. I have read other recipes that suggest this is a good way to achieve the light touch from the acidity.

Heinrich Kühn, Still Life with Steins, c.1900
gum-bichromate pigment print, 29.8 x 39.7 cm

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I am at the six month mark with this little blog and within the collection of paintings, prints, and sculptures featured on the site, one element has been sorely lacking – photographs. Throughout my studies I was always particularly interested in studying photographers, I found the manipulation of the mechanical medium to be enthralling. By frequenting the Tate galleries and the yearly Frieze art fair while living in the UK, I was introduced to David Shrigley and Martin Parr’s art. My own personal aesthetic style has been greatly influenced by both artists. I wanted to embody the irony often found in Shrigley’s work within the recipe selection for this post. I thought, by elevating the common condiments of ketchup and mustard to a relatively posh concoction with sophisticated flavors, I would be able to mirror the satire of the everyday life found in the photograph. In effect, the lavish attention paid to the condiments turns a low-brow summer dinner into an interesting meal I would eagerly anticipate at any BBQ.

David Shrigley, Hot Dog, 2002
30 x 40 cm, Photograph on paper, edition of 10

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While researching beer recipes for Léger’s still life I discovered a little gem that combines two of my favorite drinks in a way that caused me to smack my forehead and yelp ‘Egad!’ I have a fondness for dark beer and Bloody Marys which happen to be the two central components of a Michelada. Think of the dark beer as a replacement for the tomato juice and vodka which creates a rich caramel drink with a hint of spice and lovely sour note. To me this spicy drink is the perfect paring for the bright colours and bold shapes in Léger’s painting.

Fernand Léger, Still Life with a Beer Mug, 1921
oil on canvas, 92.1 x 60 cm

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