When Life Gives You Lemons, Draw a Still-Life

 

Memento Mori in Lemon Yellow, 2020

Oil pastel on paper 12" x 9"

This week I went with a classic - a still-life. Fortunately for me, we just happened to have some gorgeous fabric scraps (from various sewing projects) and a big bowl of ripe lemons. This particular drawing began life as a simple color study. My original plan was to use this oil pastel drawing to prepare for an oil painting, which would be my polished “final” draft. However, about three lemons in I realized something really special was happening. I asked myself: “instead of rushing ahead to my canvas, what if I slowed down and really invested some time and energy into developing this piece?”

The great artistic tradition of drawing and painting still-lifes has been around for hundreds of years. Who doesn’t love a pretty bouquet of flowers or an aesthetically arranged bowl of produce? Some of this popularity may be due to necessity. At some point in every artist’s life they have asked the dreaded question: “what do I draw now?!” …and there is usually an apple (or a lemon) laying around somewhere. Beyond being an attractive and convenient subject, still-lifes actually have a deep visual significance rooted in Christian concepts. This week, I present to you a drawing and a mini Art History lesson.

Willem Kalf, Still Life with a Silver Ewer and a Porcelain Bowl, 1660, oil on canvas, 29" x 25.6"

During the Dutch Baroque Art Movement of the 17th century still-life paintings, known as “vanitas” paintings, were extremely popular. The purpose of a vanitas painting is two-fold; it showcases luxury items in all their splendor and also reminds the viewer that these earthly pleasures are perishable and fleeting. This concept is visually emphasized by representing goods that are over-ripe or placed in a precarious manner which gives the impression that they might spoil or topple over at any moment. The name for this visual device is known as “Memento Mori,” or in English, “reminder of death.” While “reminder of death” might sound a bit menacing or morbid, it is neither. By inspiring the viewer to consider their own death they are also prompted to consider what happens after they die. Who knew all that spilled fruit meant, “get your priorities straight and think about your eternity!” Something to ponder the next time you go to an art museum. 

Thank you for joining me on this walk down Art-school-memory-lane. I leave you with Jesus’ words from the Sermon on the Mount:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV)

References - 

Dutch Golden Age painting (2020). Wikipedia. Retrieved Aug 6, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Golden_Age_painting

Memento mori (2020). Wikipedia. Retrieved Aug 7, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memento_mori

Vanitas (2020). Wikipedia. Retrieved Aug 7, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanitas

Still Life Painting (2014) Art History & the Art of History.  Retrieved Aug 7, 2020, from https://17green.wordpress.com/2014/04/26/still-life-painting/amp/

Tansey, R. G, Mamiya, C. J, & Kleiner, F.S. (2001). Gardner's Art Through the Ages (11th ed.). Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt.