Flowers 1638 - 1667

Joris van Son painted this still life in the 17th century, an era where symbolic meaning bloomed alongside artistic skill. Here, we see an abundance of fruit and flowers. Grapes, for example, appear as symbols of both earthly pleasure and divine grace. This duality is not new; consider the Dionysian feasts of antiquity, echoing in Christian iconography where grapes represent the blood of Christ. Notice also the cherubic figure at the top. This motif, reminiscent of classical putti, carries echoes of innocence and divine love, but its reappearance here, in a Dutch still life, marks its transformation. It's a journey through cultural memory, from pagan symbolism to Christian art, now finding new life in secular Dutch painting. Such symbols engage us on a subconscious level, a silent language of the collective unconscious. The image's emotional power lies in its ability to tap into these deep-seated cultural memories, and we witness how such motifs constantly resurface, evolve, and take on new meanings.