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So as our stimulus is the apple, we of course need to do some research on it. We also need to write a report about our research, so I will keep this post more about the information I gather, and ideas that might arise from this. I will also try to think of how me and my group could use these ideas in our devising! One thing to remember, this is just my initial research to get an idea of the vast symbolism of apples and as my devising goes forwards I will further research some elements.
A P P L E
- Symbol found in many cultures, religions, fairy tales and mythology
- Biblical tale Adam and Eve, show apple as a symbol of sin, immortality, knowledge, temptation and fall of man
- Unlikely that the fruit was an apple, since when the bible was written in the Near East, apple was unknown to the area and in some traditions the fruit ha sbeen imagined as pear, pomegranate or a fig
- In many tribal communities, an apple is picked out and presented to the parents of a newborn child. If the apple has a worm inside of, when sliced open, it is seen as a bad omen and the child must perform a dance to the fruit gods to spare the life of their own children
- In Celtic mythology there is a story about Conle who receive an apple that feeds him for a year, but gives him a desire for fairyland
- Apples and especially apple blossom is seen as a symbol of peace, concord and beauty in China
- Pink and white the colours of the blossom of an apple tree, symbolizes healing, warmth, love, purity and encourages motion and outward orientation
- Rebirth(even resurrection) and fertility are common interpretation of an apple in agricultural societies, since rotting and then planting the seed to the ground, 'the burial', will bring new life --> harvest
- Apple tree a guarantee of immortality in Irish tradition
- often mystical or forbidden fruit
- hard to identify, since as late as the 17th century the word 'apple' was used to describe a foreign fruit, including nuts
- Artist have generalized the apple in their artwork, which is why we often connect the today apple as the fruit in many stories and symbols.
- art as well made it a symbol love and sexuality(e.g. the goddess of love, beauty, sex and fertility is often seen holding an apple in painting)
- Spherical shape can symbolize totality and unity
- A Student giving an apple to their teachers has been a common tradition in America, Denmark and Sweden since the 19th century
- originated as a gift for poorly paid teachers
- apple was also a healthy, sweet snack, that would not bruise in the schoolbags full of books
- Johnny Appleseed - man who introduced apple trees to large parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana in 1800's
- became a legend due to his kind, generous ways
More On Initial Response
Son of a man- Painting by Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte
- Magritte's self-portrait
- "At least it hides the face partly. Well, so you have the apparent face, the apple, hiding the visible but hidden, the face of the person. It's something that happens constantly. Everything we see hides another thing, we always want to see what is hidden by what we see. There is an interest in that which is hidden and which the visible does not show us. This interest can take the form of a quite intense feeling, a sort of conflict, one might say, between the visible that is hidden and the visible that is present" - René Magritte
Ideas?
- I found Magritte's comment on his self-portrait interesting, that we are all hiding something in plain sight. This could connect to many things, for example depression that could develop to become a theme in our final piece.
- I like the idea of apple being a symbol of giving and helping, something that can be explored further to use in our piece. This also wouldn't be, in my opinion, the most obvious choice to develop on, but it still strongly connects to our stimulus
That is interesting about how many communities give an apple to the parents of a new born... A dance to protect their children. Also Magritte's painting
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