Uncertainty and Lemons

The symbolism employed in still life is, for the most part, formally codified. It was never a particularly high brow art form, nor was it a particularly subtle one, and this lineage is definitely something I try to carry on in my own approach to the genre.

An educated 17th century Dutch art collector would have understood how to decode those old paintings of set breakfast tables and fruit baskets and confectionary and skulls. They would have understood the strawberries as symbols of the kingdom of heaven, they would have known that an extinguished candle is intended as a reminder of mortality, a broken plate a reminder of the fragility of life.

The lemon, however, still seems somewhat enigmatic as a visual motif. Lemons would have been a luxury item at the time and they show up quite frequently in still life, often peeled, highlighting the contrast between the beautiful saturated colour of the skin and the harsh sour taste of the flesh.

Is this a warning to beware markers of superficial beauty?

Is it a reminder that extravagant food items and other markers of status are meaningless in the face of death?

With most of my still life I adhere very closely to the 17th century codification of visual symbols. I intend for my still life compositions to be readily decoded; I am not trying to be coy with my messaging.

These two images use human and animal remains, alongside broken dishes, as a meditation of mortality. These are uncertain times we are facing. The ambiguity of the lemons, their uncertain meaning, reflects that uncertainty.