RESEARCH REPORT
APPLE
by Heta Nikula
Apple is a fruit of the apple tree, originating from Central Asia, but they have been growing thousands of year both in Asia and Europe and it was later brought to North America by European colonists. China still produces almost half of all apples, United states being the second-leading grower. There are more than 7,500 different kinds of apples, designed for multiple purposes, e.g. fresh eating, cooking, and producing cider, but also to be aesthetically desirable. Winter apple is an example of a different cultivar of an apple, that is picked late autumn and restored just above freezing. This certain cultivar of apple has been an important food in Asia and Europe because of this aspect. It is believed that Alexander the Great himself found dwarfed apples in Kazakhstan that he brought back with him to Macedonia, that might be the roots for the dwarfing stocks.
But apple is more than just a fruit; it has spread throughout the world to become one of the most
known symbols of all time. It can be found from multiple different
cultures in art, mythology, fairy tales and religion, but it doesn't necessarily
always hold the same meaning. For example, in many tribal communities apple can be seen as an omen, a way to tell the future of your children. The apple is cut in half to see, whether there is a worm inside of it. If not, the child future is fine, but if there is, it tell of the death of his or hers future children and so they have to perform a traditional dance to ask for forgiveness from the fruit gods to spear their own children. In this case, the apple represents life, especially the life of future members of the tribe and these practices are still used in many tribes today. In China, an apple, especially the blossom of an apple tree symbolizes peace harmony and beauty, but also the colors of the blossom, pink and white, refer to apples symbolizing healing, warmth, love and purity . One of the most known appearances of the apple is in the biblical tale of Adam and Eve, where the two are banished from the paradise for eating from the forbidden apple tree. In this case, the apple symbolizes sin and temptation, but also knowledge and the fall of man. It is often seen as a forbidden and mystical fruit.
The apple presents itself in multiple other stories as well, but actually, it is very hard to tell if it actually is the round shaped fruit that we know today. As late as the 17th century the word 'apple' was used to describe all foreign fruit, including nuts. In the story of Adam and Eve, it is far more likely that the 'apple' was actually a pear, fig or a pomegranate, since in the Near East, where the story was written, apple was unknown to the area at that time. Connecting apple to this biblical story as a forbidden fruit, probably comes from apples Latin name and pronunciation 'malum' that is very similar to the word evil, spelled 'mălum', in Latin.
Artists have helped to generalize apple to many old stories and myths, by interpreting the fruit in case to be our modern apple. They used it often in art work because its spherical shape, that refers to totality and unity, and it is often connected with Venus, goddess of love, sex, fertility and beauty. Apples also capture well in paintings, so they might have been and are used sometimes without drawing meaning to the symbolism of the apple itself.
'The Son of A Man' is a surrealist painting done by René Magritte in 1964. It depicts a image of a man in a suit and wearing a bowler hat, with his face mostly covered by a hovering green apple. The artist said that the painting represents the curiosity of humankind, how everything is is hiding something behind it, and we as human, want to see what it is. In this case, it isn't the apple necessarily the main symbolism in the painting, but it still holds an important mission within the painting. Many have speculated that the apple and the name of the painting point towards the story of Adam and Eve in the Genesis, where Satan tempts them to taste the apple. Still, this has thought to be added by the artist just to fool the critics.
Artists have helped to generalize apple to many old stories and myths, by interpreting the fruit in case to be our modern apple. They used it often in art work because its spherical shape, that refers to totality and unity, and it is often connected with Venus, goddess of love, sex, fertility and beauty. Apples also capture well in paintings, so they might have been and are used sometimes without drawing meaning to the symbolism of the apple itself.
'The Son of A Man' is a surrealist painting done by René Magritte in 1964. It depicts a image of a man in a suit and wearing a bowler hat, with his face mostly covered by a hovering green apple. The artist said that the painting represents the curiosity of humankind, how everything is is hiding something behind it, and we as human, want to see what it is. In this case, it isn't the apple necessarily the main symbolism in the painting, but it still holds an important mission within the painting. Many have speculated that the apple and the name of the painting point towards the story of Adam and Eve in the Genesis, where Satan tempts them to taste the apple. Still, this has thought to be added by the artist just to fool the critics.
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