Two Bing Cherries 2012

Editor: This painting is titled "Two Bing Cherries," painted by Scott Fraser in 2012, using oil paint. I find its intense realism almost unsettling – like a hyper-real photograph. What’s your take on a painting that gives so much weight to such an ordinary subject? Curator: Well, on the surface, it's an exquisitely rendered still life. But look closer, at the symbolic power. Fruit, and cherries in particular, have carried weighty significance throughout art history. What comes to mind when you see them? Editor: Well, aside from just wanting to eat them, I guess I think of temptation… like the Garden of Eden? Curator: Precisely! The visual language here is fascinating. Think about the color: deep, almost bruised purple. Is that purely realism, or is it suggestive of something darker, more melancholic? Even the exaggerated curves of the stems – they remind me of pathways, possibilities diverging. Are they reaching out or pulling away? Editor: I see what you mean. I was so focused on the technical skill, I didn't really consider the symbolism. Curator: The glossiness could signal abundance or maybe artificiality. How real *are* these cherries? How "real" is any representation, any symbol? The artist compels us to examine how meaning accumulates, shifts, and transforms with each viewing, in each culture, over time. What happens when we see this same image fifty years from now? Will it evoke something different? Editor: That's… a lot to think about for a painting of two cherries. It's much more complex than I first realized! Curator: Indeed. Isn't it remarkable how a simple image can unlock such a rich field of cultural associations? It shows how seemingly ordinary subjects can be powerful conveyors of history and meaning.