Unveiling the astonishing artistry behind ‘Is It Cake?’, skeptics and enthusiasts alike are captivated. This phenomenon involves culinary magicians crafting deceivingly realistic objects that are, unveiling surprisingly, edible confections. Unveiling becomes a recurring challenge, questioning our perception of reality.
Netflix’s surprise hit, “Is It Cake?” may initially appear as just another entry in the world of mindless television. However, beneath its seemingly simple premise lies a cultural moment steeped in the need to discern truth from deception, making the show more than just a culinary competition.
As an art historian specializing in the history of visual deception, I’ve observed a fascinating connection between “Is It Cake?” and moments in American history marked by social unease about truth. These periods often saw the emergence of “fool the eye” phenomena, such as P.T. Barnum’s hoaxes and a painting technique known as “trompe l’oeil.”
During the late 19th century, while art enthusiasts admired Van Gogh and Matisse, everyday Americans became captivated by trompe l’oeil paintings – hyper realistic still lifes featuring life-sized common objects. These works were so convincing that people attempted to take painted violins and dollar bills off the wall. Even the most skeptical could fall victim, as these paintings were often displayed without frames and in unconventional settings like pubs, shop windows, and hotel lobbies. In such public spaces, the act of being deceived became a shared social experience, much like the audience engagement in “Is It Cake?” Viewers derive enjoyment not only from the on-screen judges’ failures but also from the judges themselves reaching a collective verdict after brief deliberation.
An 1890 painting of stamps, featuring a real and a painted Lincoln stamp side by side, resembles a segment in “Is It Cake?” called “Cash or Cake.” In this segment, the winning baker faces a similar dilemma: identifying which of two containers, one holding actual money and the other containing cake, is which. The exercise demonstrates that even the most skillful illusionists can be fooled.
Trompe l’oeil painters infused self-conscious humor into their works. Instead of signing their names as artists typically do, they often included their own photographs or studio-addressed letters in their still lifes as an inside joke.
What intrigued Americans about trompe l’oeil was not merely the deception itself but the techniques and motives behind it. The Secret Service even interrogated William Harnett after he painted a wrinkled five-dollar bill, while John Haberle had one of his paintings scrutinized by experts, who examined it under a lens and even removed some of the paint.
The genealogy of “Is It Cake?” can be traced to viral Instagram videos from 2020, featuring illusionistic cakes at their unveiling. While most viral videos don’t evolve into television series, this one did due to the fascination with the intricate process of creating illusions, even among viewers without aspirations in fondant artistry.
Trompe l’oeil, an ancient art form, experienced a surge in the 19th century in the United States, largely driven by the new and uniquely American problem of deception. Rapid urbanization and industrialization led many Americans to transition from rural life to the anonymity of the city. In these burgeoning urban centers, a variety of opportunists, from con artists to counterfeiters, flourished, preying on trust. Trompe l’oeil paintings offered a safe outlet for individuals to test their discernment in a pleasurable and manageable manner.
Today, when uncertainty surrounds the trustworthiness of the media landscape, a show like “Is It Cake?” provides a reassuring escape. It serves as a means to alleviate anxieties, where the worst outcome of being fooled is indulging in a cake-shaped shoe.
In this era of pervasive misinformation, “Is It Cake?” becomes more than a culinary competition; it transforms into a reflection of our contemporary quest to unravel the complexities of deception and the quest for truth.
