L’apéro 2021

Carlos Sablòn offers us “L’apéro,” a contemporary painting that reimagines Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, inviting us to consider the enduring power of symbols and cultural memory. The pomegranate in this image is a key motif, deeply rooted in history, symbolizing fertility, abundance, and regeneration. The pomegranate’s seeds, bursting forth, have echoed through time in varied contexts from ancient Greek mythology to Renaissance art, often associated with Persephone and the cycles of life and death. The fruit appears in Botticelli's “Madonna of the Pomegranate,” where it signifies Christ's future resurrection. Here, Sablòn places the fruit alongside the Mona Lisa, a figure already laden with mystery and historical weight, creating a dialogue across centuries. This juxtaposition taps into our collective subconscious, blending the Renaissance with contemporary reflections on life's cyclical nature. The image becomes a potent reminder of how symbols evolve, resurface, and continue to engage us emotionally and intellectually.