Grape symbolism in Art

Extract

[...] Representing religious scenes, for instance with the symbol of grapes, has thus been both recurrent and popular. However, such representations also have encountered periods in History where this was considered as iconoclastic. And as time went on, with the emergence of artistic movements in the twentieth century like Cubism for example, the symbol of grapes can also be seen, in its destructured representation, as a criticism or even a rejection of the traditional biblical images. If we take the example of Pablo Picasso's Violon et Raisins, painted in 1912, we can see the painter's will to present the world differently and to thumb his nose at previous religious symbols in Art. [...]

[...] Food in Art has been present and celebrating life since the dawn of time. The Greek philosopher Pliny the Elder already mentioned, in Naturalis Historia, the Hellenic painter Piraïkos1 who was quite well-known for its highly realistic representations of victuals. The legend has it that the ancient painter Zeuxis2 could paint grapes so perfectly that even birds were mistaken and tried to peck at it. Jumping in time to the late nineteenth century, Cezanne's painting entitled The Card Players3 depicts two men playing cards while sitting down at the table and sharing a bottle of wine. [...]

[...] So, what do grapes and wine symbolise in Art? What have painters wanted to express through still lifes with grapes as one of the main elements? What link can we establish between grapes and a biblical or divine reference? First, we will lay stress on grape as the fruit of Jesus Christ and therefore as the representation of the divine presence on Earth. Afterwards, we will focus on grapes as an ambivalent symbol, like the two sides of the same card, either representing life or death. [...]

[...] Whether it is the symbol of life or death, grape has always been a cornerstone in Art and also a major religious symbol. It has enabled artists to express the meaning of life on Earth. This echoes what the French poet Charles Baudelaire had written in Les Fleurs du Mal: « Ô vous, soyez témoin que j'ai fait mon devoir Comme un parfait chimiste et comme une âme sainte Car j'ai de chaque chose extrait la quintessence Tu m'as donné ta boue et j'en ai fait de l'or »14. [...]

[...] Autumn gathers its seasonal fruits, the most important ones being grapes in the painting, together with elements from a barrel of wine, and they form a human face, as if Man was at one with Nature, as if they were one single unit. Thus, grapes celebrate the triumph of life and of the communion between Man and Nature. This energy which grape bears in its bosom is of course linked with a divine will to show the presence of God on Earth. [...]