Real apple

# 30

Oil paint on fibreboard, 13×17 inches. Handmade oil painting.

Масло, оргалит, 32 * 42 см

Real apple

Real apple: the apple has long been included in the myths of the peoples of the world, and this suggests that it, like an egg, is associated with the worldview of an ancient man. The ancient people, indeed, put a certain meaning in this image. An almost ideal round shape was associated with ideas about the world, the Universe, space; golden delicate color, apple «blush» — with beauty, health and youth; smooth satin skin that hides juicy fruit — with mystery and wealth; sweetness and aroma — with pleasure and delight. It is not surprising that many peoples saw an extraordinary fruit in the apple — the fruit of the tree of life. And the tree of life in the myths of almost all peoples is at the same time the world tree, that is, the axis of the world, the Universe. In myths, such a tree was most often an apple tree or apples. Handmade oil painting.
So, for example, in the extraordinary gardens of the ancient Greek paradise, wonderful golden apples grew, giving eternal youth.

In Scandinavian mythology, the magic apple of the goddess Iduna (the owner of the magic basket filled with the apples of youth) is the personification of the season between March and September; eating apples by the gods filled them with new strength, gave them eternal youth.
Medieval legends told that Alexander the Great, who was looking for «living water» in India, once found himself in an apple orchard and learned that those who eat apples from this garden gain longevity.
Apples in many myths are associated with paradise or the Garden of Eden. The old name for the apple tree «silver bough» comes from the belief that apples grow on silvery branches and have the properties of immortality.
According to Irish belief, an apple is a fruit that ensures immortality: if you cut it in two, you can see a five-pointed star — a pentagram, symbolizing the five states from birth to death, and then a new birth.
The ancient Germans believed that apple trees enjoyed the protection of all gods — even lightning did not touch them — and therefore they surrounded their homes with apple orchards.

The apple is a symbol of quarrel and dispute.
The expression «apple of discord» is based on a myth: the goddess of discord Eris, offended by the gods, stole one of the apples of the Hesperides (giving immortality). And with the inscription «The Most Beautiful» she threw it to the wedding feast. A dispute arose between three goddesses: the Hero, Athena and Aphrodite. The Trojan youth Paris was chosen as the judge between them. Paris gave the apple to Aphrodite who bribed him; For this, Aphrodite made the wife of King Menelaus, the beautiful Helen, to fall in love with the young man. To avenge such an offense, the Greeks began a long-term war with the Trojans. The memory of this myth is the expression «apple of discord», meaning any cause of disputes and strife. They also sometimes say «apple of Eris», «apple of Paris».

See other paintings by Evgenia Zragevskaya here: Real apple

An apple is a forbidden fruit, a symbol of knowledge.
In the Bible, the apple becomes a symbol of the fall of mankind, and it is depicted in the hands of Adam or Eve. The apple was a forbidden fruit, but Eve not only picked the apple and tasted it herself, but also passed it on to Adam. The consequence was the expulsion from paradise to Earth. Thus, the apple played a fatal role here. Taking on the role of the forbidden fruit, the apple became an expression of original sin. «Adam’s apple» is an Adam’s apple that only men have, according to legend, a piece of the forbidden fruit that got stuck in Adam’s throat. One of the most common monastic sayings in the Middle Ages was: «The apple brought all evil to the world.»