Apple Bloom 1903

Curator: Soothing, isn’t it? This is Robert Vonnoh's “Apple Bloom,” painted in 1903. Oil on canvas, very much in the Impressionist style. It’s hanging here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Editor: Immediately, I notice this sense of peace...almost muted. It’s dominated by these greens, fading into misty blues, but punctuated by that incredible burst of white blossoms. You almost feel the weight of the humidity, just hanging there. Curator: I completely agree. The soft brushwork, typical of plein-air painting, really captures the hazy atmosphere of a spring day. You can practically smell the blossoms. And note how Vonnoh juxtaposes the vibrant green of new leaves with the almost overwhelming abundance of white blossoms. It’s like a fleeting moment captured. Editor: It’s interesting you say fleeting, because I think about how labor intensive something like this must have been to produce with the oil paints and brushes of the time, and the amount of time taken standing and capturing the essence of this apple orchard is hardly fleeting. It creates a contrast of the ephemeral with real world working conditions. Curator: Well, the tension is what makes the image dynamic, I think. The transient nature of beauty against the tangible world of brushstrokes, and labor in an orchard is, if anything, part of what gives "Apple Bloom" resonance. I wonder, too, about his choice to include just a hint of the built world; is that a house peeking through the leaves to the left? It almost acknowledges the changing landscape itself. Editor: Perhaps. Or it could be about ownership, considering he sold this canvas for thousands to collectors on the east coast who extracted labor of their own, it reminds us that it is, if nothing else, property and possession being looked upon and desired. It becomes another commodity within the frame of the work, doesn’t it? Curator: It certainly does add another layer, even if unintentionally. Though, ultimately, I find the painting's beauty endures. It reminds us of the joy found in the most ordinary—but magnificent—things around us. Editor: Well, seeing the relationship between art and capital emerge, makes this more of a reminder that art reflects our place in the physical and social landscape in ways that might just leave you pleasantly blooming.