APPLE OF MY EYE

APPLE OF MY EYE

Fall makes me think of apples.  And while thinking about how I would incorporate them into an article about art, I realized how the apple is a subject for so many artists, and has been for a long time. Picture Magritte's apple hiding the face of the man in the bolder hat, for one.  Apples are featured in numerous still-lives.  

One artist, who made a point of painting apples many times, was Paul Cezanne. "I will astonish Paris with an apple," he was known to have said.  According to art-lore, the apple became a favorite in Cezanne's still-lives after a friend brought him a basketful as a gesture of friendship and thanks.  But I do not think that is the only reason for Cezanne’s enthusiasm for painting apples so many times. (And he painted over 14).

So what is it about the apple that interests so many?  The apple is charged with all sorts of symbolism.  “The Forbidden Fruit” is a good start.  Greek mythology uses the apple as a symbol of a fruit from the tree of life. In Norse myths, the apple was a symbol of rebirth and beauty.  There are others.  And artists love symbolism.

Aside from art and literature, though, the apple is also a symbol and player in phrases still in use today.  An Adam's apple, The Big Apple, Johnny Appleseed, “comparing apples and oranges", the game "Apples to Apples,” "an apple for the teacher" all resonate with us as something more than a thing to bake a pie with.  

Any depiction of Newton's Apple symbolizes the surfacing of an idea. The logo for Apple computers, incidentally, references to all of the above in its fascinating history. The original was of Newton under a tree with an apple dangling precipitously above his head. The bite, in the next version, was to avoid mistaking it for a tomato. The rainbow colors (in the wrong order) symbolized “lust, knowledge, hope, an anarchy.” The sleek monochrome design was to indicate Steve Job’s influence. 

My thought, is apples are just plain interesting.  Their colors are always different.  At a quick glance, it’s an apple.  On closer look, they are more individualistic than you might think which lend them to so many situations and styles. One might have a little more green than another.  Streaks of yellow, brown--even black--are great complements to the reds.  There are so many types of apples, and in a variety of colors: Green, yellow, pink, dark red, and, of course, apple red.  

And then there is the reflective factor about apples—that spot where the light hits a polished peel.  In one painting, a clever artist made the sheeny reflection a separate little painting in itself.  You can see a person, a room, and a window in there.  

This fall, when picking, eating, or preparing apples.  Take a closer look.  They might just make you want to pick up a brush.

 


Stefani Gosselink teaches piano in Brewster, NY.  She is the author of several books, and has written several articles on art and local artists in the area. 

Click here to check out other articles on art, performance, and music here or StefaniGosselink.com.

 

 

 

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Submitted by Somers, NY

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