Ep7 - Bunches of Grapes

Still Life with Grapes mixed media painting by Smy Goodness - Emmerline Smy c. 2016

Still Life with Grapes mixed media painting by Smy Goodness - Emmerline Smy c. 2016

Grapes are one of the first plants to be grown domestically by people and their cultivation cycle has been embedded deep within us. One only needs to look at the symbolic, religious and cultural importance of grapes to get a small fathoming of what they must have meant to the early peoples who first fermented them to what they mean across the world today. Since Ancient Greece artists have used grapes to show off their artistic skills by capturing the beauty held within both the individual grapes and as a whole bunch on their vines. Grapes are symbolic of harvests, abundance, fertility and luxury. Grapes feature in association with Dionysus, the Greek God and his Roman equivalent Bacchus, who were the both Gods of wine, vegetation, pleasure, festivity, madness and wild frenzy. We'll look at the art of Zeuxis, Juan Fernandez El Labrador, Louise Moillon, Luca Forte, Georgia O'Keeffe, Alfred Steiglitz and Grimanesa Amoros. Their impact cannot be downplayed; grapes are intertwined with humans as the vines that they grow on. An allegory to life and times of abundance and drought, hard work, establishing roots and pruning for the future, and just generally the beautiful outcomes of all of the above and the celebrations and things shared alongside it.

Still Life with Grapes mixed media painting by Smy Goodness - Emmerline Smy c. 2016

Still Life with Grapes mixed media painting by Smy Goodness - Emmerline Smy c. 2016

initial study for my Still Life with Grapes mixed media painting

initial study for my Still Life with Grapes mixed media painting

Four Bunches of Grapes Juan Fernandez El Labrador, c 1636

Four Bunches of Grapes
Juan Fernandez El Labrador, c 1636

Two Bunches of Grapes Juan Fernandez El Labrador, c 1630-1644

Two Bunches of Grapes
Juan Fernandez El Labrador, c 1630-1644

A Market Stall with a Young Woman Giving a Basket of Grapes to an Older Woman, Louise Moillon, c. 1630

A Market Stall with a Young Woman Giving a Basket of Grapes to an Older Woman,
Louise Moillon, c. 1630

Still Life with Grapes and other Fruit Luca Forte, c. 1630

Still Life with Grapes and other Fruit
Luca Forte, c. 1630

Grapes No. 2 Georgia O'Keeffe ,1927

Grapes No. 2
Georgia O'Keeffe ,1927

Georgia O'Keeffe - Hands and Grapes Alfred Stieglitz, c. 1921

Georgia O'Keeffe - Hands and Grapes
Alfred Stieglitz, c. 1921

A few years back I decided to bundle all my interests together and rebrand from Smy Chutney to Smy Goodness so that all my preserves, crafts, products and workshops could live together in one place. My own podcast seemed a suitable place to uncover, understand and enjoy things related to food, art, history and design. Please do share your stories, knowledge, questions and suggestions. In the Smy Goodness.com podcast section you will find the podcasts and all the items that we are discussing and will have ongoing discussions about each week.

You can also follow Smy Goodness on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. I'd like to thank Matteo Borea for creating the music. Thank you for listening.